Reconstitution of biological molecular generators of electric current. Cytochrome oxidase. 1. Direct measurement of the electric current generation by cytochrome oxidase has been carried out. To this end, two procedures were used. The simpler one consists in formation of planar artificial membrane from the mixture of decane solution of soya bean phospholipids and beef heart cytochrome oxidase. Addition of cytochrome c and ascorbate to one of the two compartments separated by the cytochrome oxidase-containing planar membrane was found to result in a transmembrane electric potential difference being formed (plus on cytochrome c side of the membrane). Maximal values of potential differences obtained by this method were about 40 mV. Much higher potentials were observed when another ("photeoliposome-planar membrane") method was applied. In this case cytochrome oxidase was reconstituted with phospholipid to form proteoliposomes which adhered to planar phospholipid membrane in the presence of Ca2+ ions. Addition of cytochrome c and ascorbate to the proteoliposome-containing compartment gives rise to generation of an electric potential difference across the planar membrane, which reached 100 mV at a current of about 1 X 10(-11) A (minus in the proteoliposome-free compartment). The electromotive force of this generator was estimated as being about 0.2 V. If ascorbate and proteoliposomes were added into different compartments, a penetrating hydrogen atom carrier (phenazine methosulfate, (PMS) or tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine (TMPD)) was required for a membrane potential to be formed. Generation of an electric potential difference of the opposite direction (plus in the proteoliposome-free compartment) was revealed in experiments with cytochrome oxidase proteoliposome containing cytochrome c in their interior. In this case, addition of PMS or TMPD was necessary. 2. In the suspension of cytochrome oxidase proteoliposome the uptake of a cationic penetrant (tetraphenyl phosphonium cation) was found to be coupled with electron transfer via external cytochrome c. Electron transfer via intraproteoliposomal cytochrome c induced the uptake of anionic penetrants (tetraphenyl borate and phenyldicarbaundecaborane anions). 3. All the above effects were sensitive to cyanide and protonophorous uncouplers. 4. In proteoliposomes containing both cytochrome oxidase and bacteriorhodopsin, the light- and oxidation-dependent generations of membrane potential have been revealed. 5. The data obtained are in agreement with Mitchell's idea of transmembrane electron flow in the cytochrome oxidase segment of the respiratory chain.


Purification and characterization of an endoribonuclease from nucleoplasm and nucleoli of HeLa cells. An endoribonuclease has been isolated from HeLa cell nuclei. Approximately 70% of the enzyme appears to be nucleolar bound; 30% is in the nucleoplasm. Studies of the purified enzyme reveal that the enzyme is an endonuclease of estimated molecular weight 16,000. It produces oligonucleotides bearing 5'-phosphate end groups. The enzyme degrades poly(C) and poly(U), as well as rRNA and heterogeneous nuclear RNA, Poly(A), double-stranded RNA, and DNA are not cleaved. The enzyme is heat-labile and is inhibited by 10mM Mg2+ and 50 mM NaCl. The enzyme is probably distinct from previously described nuclear endonucleases.


Intracellular location of triple helix formation of collagen. Enzyme probe studies. Primary cultures of chick embryo fibroblasts were used to study ribosomal events in the processing of procollagen. Polyribosomes from radiolabeled cells were subjected to enzyme probe analysis using collagenase and pepsin digestion to assess both the amount of procollagen present on the polyribosomes and the conformation of the molecule. The peptides rendered dialyzable by each enzyme treatment were analyzed for radioactive proline and hydroxyproline. Approximately 30% of the nascent proteins were collagenous. Although some hydroxyproline was dialyzable in the pepsin-treated material, a low ratio of hydroxyproline to proline (0.04) indicated that considerable amounts of noncollagenous proteins were digested. Polyribosomal material, previously treated with pepsin, was digested with purified collagenase. Similarly, collagenase-digested polyribosomes were treated with pepsin. The pepsin pretreatment released noncollagenous protein and served to purify the remaining ribosomally bound pepsin-resistant collagenous protein. Collagenase treatment of the pepsin-resistant ribosomally bound peptides released peptides with a hydroxyproline to proline ratio of 0.65, indicating that considerable hydroxylation of proline occurs on nascent ribosomally bound procollagen. This finding combined with the well documented stabilizing effect of hydroxyproline on the collagen triple helix and the demonstrated resistance of ribosomally bound procollagen to pepsin digestion indicates that the collagen triple helix may well form on the polyribosome.


Evidence for participation of iron in lipoxygenase reaction from optical and electron spin resonance studies. Optical and EPR studies indicate that the iron present in lipoxygenase participates in catalysis. Addition of linoleic acid hydroperoxide to lipoxygenase 1 causes an increase in abosrbance over the range of 350 to 650 nm which is reversed when linoleic acid hydroperoxide is destroyed upon the addition of linoleic acid under anaerobic conditions. Lipoxygenase 1 alone exhibits no EPR signal but upon addition of linoleic acid hydroperoxide or linoleic acid several signals appear. Addition of linoleic acid hydroperoxide results in an EPR signal at g approximately equal to 6 accompanied by a small but relatively sharp signal at g approximately equal to 2. Under anaerobic conditions the latter is replaced by a broad anisotropic signal around g approximately equal to 2. The appearance of the EPR signal at g approximately equal to 6 coincides with the change in the optical spectrum of the enzyme. When linoleic acid is added under anaerobic conditions a broad anisotropic EPR signal around g approximately equal to 2 is observed. Thus it appears that lipoxygenase can exist in two forms: (a) a resting form with a very weak absorbance in the visible range of the light spectrum and no EPR signal and (b) an active form (after addition of linoleic acid hydroperoxide) with an increased optical absorbance and EPR signal at g approximately equal to 6. This observation may be related to the earlier discovery that the lipoxygenase reaction occurs with a lag which can be overcome by addition of product hydroperoxide. The EPR experiments indicate that lipoxygenase in the active form contains high spin ferric ion. Although EPR signals in the g approximately equal to 6 region are frequently observed with heme proteins, the only nonheme protein, other than lipoxygenase, reported to show an EPR signal in this region is the phenolytic dioxygenase, protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase (Peisach, J., Fujisawa, H., Blumberg, W. E., and Hayaishi, O. (1972) Fed. Proc. 31, 448).


Equilibrium constants under physiological conditions for the reactions of choline kinase and the hydrolysis of phosphorylcholine to choline and inorganic phosphate. The observed equilibrium constants (Kobs) of the P-choline hydrolysis reaction have been determined under physiological conditions of temperature (38 degrees) and ionic strength (0.25 M) and physiological ranges of pH and free [Mg2+]. Using sigma and square brackets to indicate total concentrations: (see article.) The value of Kobs has been found to be relatively insensitive to variations in pH and free [Mg2+]. At pH 7.0 and taking the standard state of liquid water to have unit activity ([H2O] = 1), Kobs = 26.6 M at free [Mg2+] = 0 [epsilon G0obs = -2.03 kcal/mol(-8.48 kJ/mol)], 26.8 M at free [Mg2+] = 10(-3) M, and 28.4 M at free [Mg2+] = 10(-2) M. At pH 8.0, Kobs = 18.8 M at free [Mg2+] = 0, 19.2 M at free [Mg2+] = 10(-3), and 22.2 M at free [Mg2+] = 10(-2) M. These values apply only to situations where choline and Pi concentrations are both relatively low (such as the conditions found in most tissues). At higher concentrations of phosphate and choline, the value of Kobs becomes significantly increased since HPO42- complexes choline weakly (association constant = 3.3 M-1). The value of K at 38 degrees and I = 0.25 M is calculated to be 16.4 +/- 0.3 M [epsilonG0 = 1.73 kcal/mol (-7.23 kJ/mol)]. The K for the P-choline hydrolysis reaction has been combined with the K for the ATP hydrolysis reaction determined previously under physiological conditions to calculate a value of 4.95 X 10(-3 M [deltaG0 j.28 kcal/mol (13.7 kJ/mol] for the K of the choline kinase reaction (EC 2.7.1.32), an important step in phospholipid metabolism: (see article.) Likewise, values for Kobs for the choline kinase reaction at 38 degrees, pH 7.0, and I = 0.25 M have been calculated to be 5.76 X 10(4) [deltaG0OBS = -6.77 KCAL/MOL (-28.3 KJ/mol)] at [Mg2+] = 0; 1.24 X  10(4) [deltaG0obs = -5.82 kcal/mol (-24.4 kJ/mol)] at [Mg2+] = 10(-3) M and 8.05 X 10(3) [delta G0obs = -5.56 kcal/mol (-23.3 kJ/mol)] at [Mg2+ = 10(-2) M. Attempts to determine the Kobs of the choline kinase reaction directly were unsuccessful because of the high value of the constant. The results indicate that in contrast to the high deltaG0obs for the hydrolysis of the ester bond of acetylcholine, the deltaG0obs for the hydrolysis of the ester bond of P-choline is quite low, among the lowest known for phosphate ester bonds of biological interest.


In vivo tissue reactivity of radiation-cured silicone rubber implants. Silicone rubber implants are clinically used in large numbers and elicit a milk tissue reaction. An occasional patient develops an accentuated reaction, an observation which has stimulated clinicians to try to understand this process more fully. The chemistry of medical silicone implants, including quantitative composition, is reviewed. This in vitro laboratory study show less tissue reaction-cured silicone with SiO2 filler. A proposed system for fabrication and curing of a silicone implant, with the qualities of strength and diminished tissue reactivity, is discussed.


Biomaterials and collagen synthesis.

Biomaterials and collagen synthesis. A highly reactive biomaterial (clay) and a relatively nonreactive substance (silicone) were implanted separately in primarily closed incisions on the backs of rats. Collagen synthesis was determined in biopsies from each test site after 8 days. The biochemical measurements of collagen synthesis showed a significant correlation with the gross pathologic and histologic findings.


Recent experience in mammography using Trimax rare-earth system. Comparison of two substantial series of mammograms has shown that reduction in exposure time from about five seconds to about two seconds, all other factors remaining equal, has made no difference in the true positive rate of diagnostic accuracy. However, the amount of radiation to the breast was reduced. Using rare-earth screen and film combinations allows a further dramatic reduction in the exposure time as well as in the kilovoltage and milli-amperage without any apparent loss in quality. Since the amount of radiation is one important factor, serious consideration must be given to the use of rare-earth screen and film combination for mammography.


Adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate content and actions in the division cycle of synchronized HeLa cells. The involvement of adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate (cAMP) in the regulation of the cell cycle was studied by determining intracellular fluctuations in cAMP levels in synchronized HeLa cells and by testing the effects of experimentally altered levels on cell cycle traverse. Cyclic AMP levels were lowest during mitosis and were highest during late G-1 or early S phase. These findings were supported by results obtained when cells were accumulated at these points with Colcemid or high levels of thymidine. Additional fluctuations in cAMP levels were observed during S phase. Two specific effects of cAMP on cell cycle traverse were found. Elevation of cAMP levels in S phase or G-2 caused arrest of cells in G-2 for as long as 10 h and lengthened M. However, once cells reached metaphase, elevation of cAMP accelerated the completion of mitosis. Stimulation of mitosis was also observed after addition of CaCl2. The specificity of the effects of cAMP was verified by demonstrating that: (a) intracellular cAMP was increased after exposure to methylisobutylxanthine (MIX) before any observed effects on cycle traverse; (b) submaximal concentrations of MIX potentiated the effects of isoproterenol; and (c) effects of MIX and isoproterenol were mimicked by 8-Br-cAMP. MIX at high concentrations inhibited G-1 traverse, but this effect did not appear to be mediated by cAMP. Isoproterenol slightly stimulated G-1 traverse and partially prevented the MIX-induced delay. Moreover, low concentrations of 8-Br-cAMP (0.10-100 muM) stimulated G-1 traverse, whereas high concentrations (1 mM) inhibited. Both of these effects were also observed with the control, Br-5'-AMP, at 10-fold lower concentrations.


Microtubule assembly in cultivated Greene melanoma cells is stimulated by dibutyryl adenosine 3':5'-cyclic monophosphate or cholera toxin. Both dibutyryl cyclic AMP (DBcAMP) and cholera toxin promote the formation and elongation of processes of cultivated Greene hamster melanoma cells. The formation and maintenance of these processes, which contain many microtubules, are sensitive to colcemid and vinblastine. Tubulin was measured by [3H]colchicine binding and by acrylamide gel electrophoresis. We found that DBcAMP or cholera toxin increases the ratio of polymerized to unpolymerized tubulin but not the total amount of tubulin per cell. The sum of the lengths of microtubules per unit area was significantly greater in cells treated with DBcAMP than in control cells. Our findings support the hypothesis that cyclic AMP promotes the elongation of cell processes by stimulating the assembly of microtubules from existing tubulin.


Specific changes in the synthesis of mitochondrial DNA in chick embryo fibroblasts transformed by Rous sarcoma viruses. In chick-embryo fibroblasts infected with the Schmidt-Ruppin strain of Rous sarcoma virus, subgroup A (wild type), or with a thermosensitive mutant of this virus, T5, the rates of mitochondrial DNA synthesis differ in cells that exhibit normal and malignant phenotypes. In wild type virus-infected cells grown at 36 or 41 degrees C, morphological transformation is expressed, the rate of 2-deoxy-D-[3H]glucose uptake is stimulated, and mitochondrial DNA synthesis in vivo is stimulated three- to fivefold over that in uninfected cells. In T5-infected cells these changes occur only at the permissive temperature (36 degrees C); a shift to the nonpermissive temperature (41 degrees C) causes the reversal of these effects, and the specific activity of purified mitochondrial DNA is characteristic of that from uninfected cells. In contrast, the specific activities of nuclear DNA purified from cells maximally transformed under the permissive conditions do not differ between wild type-infected and uninfected with the T5 virus. In parallel experiments with isolated mitochondria, the rate of mtDNA synthesis in vitro is again greater in mitochondria isolated from transformed cells. In addition, mitochondrial DNA synthesis in vitro in mitochondria from nontransformed and virus-transformed cells exhibits differential sensitivity to inhibition by mercaptoethanol. Furthermore, the ntDNAP polymerase activity in mitochondrial extracts prepared from cells with transformed phenotypes is about sevenfold higher than in extracts from cells with nontransformed phenotypes.


Isolation of synaptic junctional complexes of high structural integrity from rat brain. A new method has been developed for isolating synaptic junctional complexes (SJC) of high structural integrity. The major step in the isolation involves homogenization of a synaptosomal membrane (SM) fraction in a biphasic system consisting of Freon 113 and an aqueous phase containing 0.2% Triton X-100. Well-preserved SJCs, along with membrane vesicles, were recovered in the aqueous phase after low-speed centrifugation of the homogenate. The membranes were subsequently separated from the SJCs by centrifugation on a discontinuous sucrose density gradient. The purity and identity of subcellular fractions were monitored by thin sectioning electron microscopy, using specific and nonspecific staining methods. From the electron microscope studies we conclude that SJCs and their components occupy about 65% of the area covered by structures in this fraction. The assay of enzyme activities indicates that homogenization in Triton-Freon and subsequent steps of the isolation procedure affect the activities of Na, K-ATPase, cytochrome oxidase, and acid phosphatase to different extents, but do not cause total inactivation. Electrophoresis of the SJC-enriched fraction on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels has demonstrated that a polypeptide which co-migrates with tubulin is the major component in this fraction, and that a polypeptide co-migrating with actin is also present.


Effects of 5-bromodeoxyuridine on the ACTH-dependent mitochondrial biogenesis in cortical cells of fetal rat adrenals in tissue culture. Cortical cells of fetal rat adrenals in tissue culture were treated with 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) during their proliferative phase and during ACTH stimulation when nuclear DNA synthesis has almost ceased. Pretreatment with 0.5 mug/ml/day of BrdU inhibited the ACTH-induced differentiation of cortical cells as well as the secretion of corticosterone and 18-OH-deoxycorticosterone (18-OHDOC). When nuclear DNA synthesis was suppressed and mitochondrial DNA synthesis was stimulated by ACTH BrdU addition (30 mug/ml/day) permitted normal untrastructural differentiation of cortical cells, except that the development of mitochondrial inner membranes was inhibited. Simultaneously mitochondrial inner membranes was inhibited. Simultaneously mitochondrial 11beta- and 18-hydroxylations were strongly inhibited while cytoplasmic 21-hydroxylation was not affected.


Densitometric quantitation of neutral lipids on ammonium sulfate impregnated thin-layer chromatograms. A procedure is described which extends the densitometric quantitation of phospholipids on ammonium sulfate impregnated thin-layer chromatograms by Gluck et al. to include total lipid, free and esterified cholesterol, free fatty acid and triglyceride. Lipids separated on thin-layer plates containing silica gel G impregnated with ammonium sulfate were charred upon heating and absorbance was measured densitometrically. Thus, the necessity of spraying or submersing in a charring agent was eliminated, uniform charring became possible, and quantitation over a wider range of sample sizes than most densitometric procedures was obtained. One linear relationship existed for concentrations of standards over the range of 0.0-3.0 mug and another line from 4.0-50.0 mug. Both accuracy and precision of the method were highly reliable.


High-speed liquid and thin-layer chromatography of polychlorinated biphenyls. High-speed liquid chromatography in the system silica gel/dry n-hexane and ultraviolet spectrometry have been used to study the composition of various types of commercially available mixtures of chlorinated biphenyls. Special attention has been paid to the analysis of highly chlorinated products. In addition to data previously published, retention times are recorded for 11 individual polychlorinated biphenyls. The results of high-speed liquid chromatography are compared with those obtained in several normal and reversed-phase thin-layer chromatographic systems.


Quantitative high-performance liquid chromatography of diazepam and N-desmethyldiazepam in blood. High-performance liquid chromatography on porous silica has been employed to determine diazepam and N-desmethyldiazepam in human blood. For forensic purposes, 1.0 ml of blood is sufficient for a quantitative determination of the benzodiazepines in concentrations above 100 ng/ml. In cases where lower levels, 25-100 ng/ml, are of interest, 2.0 ml of blood together with a somewhat more elaborate extraction procedure are necessary.


Impaired glucose, insulin, and adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate responses to glucagon in growth hormone deficient children. The glucose, insulin, and adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) responses to intravenous glucagon were found to be impaired in growth hormone deficient children. The delta plasma glucose response in 22 normal children was 54.5 mg/dl compared to 38.4 mg/dl in the 11 growth hormone deficient children; t = 2.74, P less than 0.02. For serum insulin, the comparative values were 65.3 muU/ml (n = 20) vs. 29.8 muU/ml (n = 11); t = 3.03, P less than 0.01. For urinary cyclic AMP, the comparative values were 0.46 mumol/m2 (n = 22) vs. 0.18 mumol/m2 (n = 10); t = 2.48, P less than 0.02. Growth hormone therapy resulted in a significant improvement in the glucose, insulin, and cyclic AMP responses to intravenous glucagon in the growth hormone deficient group of children.


Somatomedin-C receptor ontogeny and levels in porcine fetal and human cord serum. The ontogeny of somatomedin receptors in tissues of fetal pigs and levels of somatomedin-C in fetal pig serum at various gestational ages and in human cord serum was investigated. Specific binding of 125I somatomedin-C by particulate membranes prepared from fetal organs from a variety of gestational ages almost always exceeds specific 125I insulin binding. In liver, kidney, heart and the maternal portion of the placenta, apparent binding affinity for somatomedin is relatively constant throughout gestation and is the same for membranes from fetal and adult animals. In contrast, in the fetal portion of the placenta, specific somatomedin-C binding and apparent binding affinity increases as gestation progresses. The changes in this tissue correlate temporally with the acceleration of growth of the pig fetus. Membranes prepared from fetal lungs exhibit higher specific binding of somatomedin and higher affinity constants than adult lung membranes. Somatomedin levels in fetal pig serum are about 25% of those observed in the sow and are constant throughout fetal life. Somatomedin in human cord serum is likewise low compared to adult levels. Small-for-gestational age infants and large, postmature infants have lower mean somatomedin levels than normal weight, full-term infants. The identification of specific somatomedin receptors in fetal tissues opens the possibility that somatomedin-C stimulates growth of the fetus. Although not resolved, the relatively low levels of somatomedin in fetal serum may reflect low levels of the somatomedin binding protein rather than an absolute deficiency of biologically active somatomedin.


Plasma 16 beta-hydroxydehydroepiandrosterone in normal and pathological conditions in man. Plasma 16beta-hydroxydehydroepiandrosterone (16 beta-OH-DHEA) levels in normal subjects and patients with certain pathological conditions have been evaluated using radioimmunoassay of the steroid. Plasma 16 beta-OH-DHEA levels in normal subjects rose sharply during adolescence and then declined slowly throughout adult life: 192 +/- 54 (SE) pg/ml between 7 and 11 yrs., 395 +/- 22 pg/ml between 15 and 19 yrs, 330 +/- 29 pg/ml between 20 and 39 yrs., 291 +/- 35 pg/ml between 40 and 59 yrs., and 124 +/- 20 over 60 yrs. No significant difference was found between male and female subjects. Plasma 16 beta-OH-DHEA rose significantly (P less than 0.001) during ACTH stimulation, declined significantly (P less than 0.005) during dexamethasone suppression, declined significantly (P less than 0.05) during gonadal suppression, rose significantly (P less than 0.05) during gonadal stimulation and rose significantly (P less than 0.005) after the administration of WIN 24,540, an inhibitor of 3 beta-ol-dehydrogenase. The concentration of 16 beta-OH-DHEA in adrenal venous blood was higher than in inferior vena cava blood, but 16 beta-OH-DHEA in hepatic venous blood was not higher than 16 beta-OH-DHEA in arterial blood. It is inferred that 16 beta-OH-DHEA is secreted directly by the adrenal cortex and probably the gonads. Plasma 16 beta-OH-DHEA was elevated in normal pregnant women, pregnant women with toxemia, and in patients with Cushing's disease, ectopic ACTH-producing tumor, and congenital adrenal hyperplasia, but it was not elevated in patients with low-renin essential hypertension.


The effect of ACTH and cortisol on aldosterone and cortisol clearance and distribution in plasma and whole blood. The mechanisms of increased aldosterone and cortisol metabolic clearance rates (MCR) following ACTH or cortisol administration were studied in 13 subjects undergoing cardiac catheterization and in 9 healthy controls. In control subjects, the MCR (plasma) of both steroids increased by 29% (aldosterone: from 936 +/- 57 to 1204 +/- 55 l/day/m2, cortisol: from 205 +/- 12 to 264 +/- 17 l/day/m2 +/- SE) after ACTH (12 units/h) for 1 to 4 h, and by 20 and 32%, respectively, after cortisol (12 mg/h) for 1 to 2 h. In contrast, aldosterone MCR (whole blood) did not change with ACTH or cortisol administration (from 1276 +/- 57 to 1330 +/- 59 l/day/m2), indicating that the plasma MCR increase results from a redistribution of aldosterone from plasma to red cells. Aldosterone splanchnic extraction was 92 +/- 1% (n = 12) with normal morning cortisol levels, and extraction was unchanged after ACTH administration. For cortisol, however, the splanchnic extraction increased from 8 +/- 0.8% to 17.8 +/- 5.0%, and the MCR (whole blood) likewise increased by 15 to 31% (from 295 +/- 23 to 357 +/- 30 l/day/m2), after ACTH or cortisol administration. In vivo and in vitro measurements (at 37 C) of tracer aldosterone concentration in plasma and in red cells showed an increase in distribution to red cells with increasing cortisol concentrations. The results suggest that a fraction of aldosterone is bound in plasma and displaced by cortisol into red cells. There is an increased aldosterone plasma MCR, but unaltered whole blood MCR, since the liver extracts aldosterone almost completely from both plasma and red cells. The increase in cortisol MCR (plasma) results from both an increased splanchnic extraction as plasma binding sites approach saturation and a redistribution into red cells.


Spontaneous hypercortisolism without Cushing's syndrome. A very high cortisol production rate (CPR) with elevated plasma ACTH was found in a hypertensive, hypokalemic, but otherwise healthy male patient. There were no symptoms or signs of Cushing's syndrome. The hypercortisolism appeared to be of the pituitary dependent type. During the follow-up of 36 months, no changes in outward appearance occurred, notwithstanding persistent hypercortisolism. The possibility of either Conn's syndrome or of an enzymatic defect in steroidogenesis could be ruled out. One of the three children (a healthy boy of 20 years) also showed hypertension and hypercortisolism. A possibly genetically determined hyposensitivity to the glucocorticoid action of cortisol is postulated.


GH, ACTH, TSH, LH, and FSH reserve in pre pubertal girls with congenital adrenal hyperplasia. The pituitary reserve of GH, ACTH, TSH, LH, and FSH was determined in seven prepubertal birls suffering from congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylation defect and under treatment with cortisone acetate. GH and ACTH were studied during the insulin induced hypoglycemia test. The LH, FSH, and TSH reserved were assayed by means of the LH-RH and TRH tests. GH behavior proved to be similar to that found in normal subjects, whereas basal and/or after stimulus ACTH turned out to be higher than the upper limits of the normal range in five out of six girls. The mean basal value and the mean LH peak were not significantly higher than those found in normal prepubertal girls; the mean basal value and the mean FSH peak were lower than the mean of the control group. The difference is significant (P less than 0.05) only between the peak values. The mean basal TSH in the patients is significantly higher (P less than 0.01) than the mean value of the control group. The maximum TSH after TRH is not significantly different from the mean value fo the control group.


Effectiveness of cyproheptadine in decreasing plasma ACTH concentrations in Nelson's syndrome. Cyproheptadine (24 mg q.d.) was administered to four patients with Nelson's Syndrome for a 3-5 month period. This resulted in a significant reduction in plasma ACTH and prolactin concentrations in 3 of these subjects. A rise in plasma ACTH concentrations occurred following discontinuance of medication in one patient. The results suggest that pituitary ACTH secretion in some patients with Nelson's Syndrome is under Central Nervous System control.


Use of receptors in the preparation of LH-free serum. The use of specific receptors has provided a novel method to prepare LH-free serum. LH-free serum was used in RRA to measure basal LH levels in serum of men and women during menstrual cycle as well as during post menopause.


Modification of renin reactivity by lipids extracted from normal, hypertensive, and uremic plasma. Plasma renin reactivity (PRR), the in vitro rate of angiotensin generation after addition of renin, is greater in plasma of hypertensive patients and uremic patients than in plasma of normotensive control subjects. To determine if this difference is due to different substrate reactivities, substrate was denatured and replaced with homologous substrate. After a 180 min incubation, PRR in normal plasma (73 ng/ml +/- 5 SE) was less (P less than 0.01) than that in hypertensive (112 ng/ml +/- 15 SE) or uremic (123 ng/ml +/- 39 SE) plasma. To determine if uremic plasma lacks a renin inhibitor, buffer or plasma was added to renin-renin substrate. Less angiotensin was generated (P less than 0.05) with normal (72 ng/ml +/- 4 SE) and uremic (88 ng/ml +/- 4 SE) plasma during 30 min than with buffer (107 ng/ml +/- 4 SE). After 180 minutes, less angiotensin was generated with normal (P less than 0.05) but not uremic plasma (P greater then 0.6), than with buffer. In vitro angiotensin generation was inhibited by lipids extracted from normal plasma. Lipids were separated into acetone soluble (neutral lipids) and acetone insoluble (phospholipid) fractions. Acetone soluble lipids, extracted from normal plasma, competitively inhibit renin: renin was not inhibited by acetone insoluble lipids. Acetone soluble lipids extracted from uremic plasma inhibited PRR to a lesser extent than lipids from either normal plasma or hypertensive plasma (P less than 0.01). Increased PRR in uremic plasma may be related to the deficiency of a circulating acetone soluble renin inhibiting factor.


Unconjugated dehydroepiandrosterone plasma levels in normal subjects from birth to adolescence in human: the use of a sensitive radioimmunoassay. A specific and sensitive radioimmunoassay for measuring unconjugated plasma dehydroepiandrosterone (DHA) has been developed and the results expressed in ng/100 ml. Mean values +/-1 SD were in mixed cord blood 593.3 +/- 186.5 in 21 females and 712.7 +/- 190.9 in 18 males. During the first day of life the peripheral plasma concentration of DHA was 917.6 +/- 317.8 in 22 female and 922.65 +/- 290 in 17 male neonates. During the first month of age, DHA levels decreased significantly and then more progressively throughout the first year of life. Mean levels observed between the first and 6th month of life were 147.1 +/- 53.6 in 15 girls and 151.6 +/- 62.7 in 28 boys. Between 6 and 12 months of age mean DHA levels were 90.9 +/- 43.3 and 68.14 +/- 30.9 in 11 girls and 24 boys, respectively. In 250 normal children, plasma DHA levels were very low between 1 to 6 years of age, but rising progressively thereafter without any sex difference long before any clinical sign of puberty. A circadian rhythm parallel to that of cortisol was observed as early as 5 years of age. Acute and chronic stimulation of ACTH confirmed the adrenal origin of DHA, while the results of hCG stimulation test and fluoxymesterone suppression test assessed the testicular participation to the DHA production.


Varicella-zoster plaque assay and plaque reduction neutralization test by the immunoperoxidase technique. A new plaque assay for the quantitation of varicella-zoster virus and a plaque reduction neutralization test for the determination of neutralizing antibody titer have been developed using the indirect immunoperoxidase technique. As compared with the classical plaque assay using a solid overlay, the test gives earlier results since plaque counting can be performed on day 3 after the inoculation of cell cultures. In six patients with zoster infection, neutralizing antibody titers ranged from 1:20 to 1:40 before the onset of infection and reached high levels (1:320 to 1:5,120) during the convalescent phase of the disease. Complement-fixing (CF) titers were all negative (less than 1:8) in prezoster serum samples from the same patients and ranged from 1:128 to 1:2,048 in the convalescent-phase sera. In the two cases in which late serum samples were available, neutralizing antibody titers matched the preillness levels, whereas CF titers dropped to undetectable levels. Neither neutralizing nor CF antibody was detected in two sera from individuals with no history of varicella-zoster infection. No differences in virus titers or neutralizing antibody titers were observed between the immunoperoxidase and the classical plaque assays. The appropriate characterization of reagent specificity is required before routine application of the test.


Extracellular enzymes of the genus Bacteroides. The extracellular production of hyaluronidase and chondroitin sulfatase was demonstrated in all of the subspecies of Bacteroides fragilis tested with the exception of B. fragilis subsp. vulgatus. Elastase was found only in one strain of B. coagulans tested. This appears to be the first report of these enzyme activities in this genus. Additional enzymes found to be produced by certain members othis genus were fibrinolysin, penicillinase, lysozyme, lecithinase, deoxyribonuclease, phosphatase, protease, and lipase.


Functional and physicochemical studies of hemoglobin St. Louis beta 28 (B10) Leu replaced by Gln: a variant with ferric beta heme iron. Studies have been performed on a 20-yr-old man exhibiting methemoglobinemia and a severe hemolytic anemia involving formation of Heinz bodies. This condition was due to an abnormal Hb present in the red cells of the proband: Hb St. Louis, beta 28 (B10) replaced by Gln, whose structural characteristics have been previously reported. This unstable Hb represented 30% of the total and was isolated by starch block electrophoresis at pH 8.6. Electrophoretic and spectral studies showed Hb St. Louis to be a valency hybird, alpha 2 beta 2+. The presence of hemichrome in this Hb was detected by electron paramagnetic resonance studies. During this study, an electrophoretic technique was developed that allows study of the mobility of hemichrome. Oxygen equilibria performed on purified Hb St. Louis revealed a high oxygen affinity and a markedly reduced cooperativity. The Bohr effect was normal, but the interaction of this hemoglobin with 2,3-diphosphoglycerate was decreased. The oxidation rate of Hb St. Louis was normal. Hb St. Louis was completely reduced by dithionite and ferrous citrate, and the functional properties of this reduced form were normal. In contrast, Hb St. Louis was only partially reduced by diaphorase. The mechanism of the oxidation of Hb St. Louis therefore appears to differ markedly from that postulated for other Hbs M.


Insulin release and cyclic AMP accumulation in response to glucose in pancreatic islets of fed and starved rats. The dose as well as the time kinetics of insulin and adenosine-3', 5' -monophosphate (cyclic AMP) responses to glucose were compared in pancreatic islets of fed and starved rats. There was a preferential impairment of the early phase of glucose-induced insulin release in perifused islets of rats starved for 16 and 48 h. Similarly, the accumulation of 3H cyclic AMP in islets prelabeled with 3H-2-adenine was less in islets of 48 h starved than fed rats, during the first 10-min of stimulation with 26.7 mM glucose in the presence of 0.1 mM of the phosphodiesterase inhibitor, 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, whereas at 30 and 60 min 3H cyclic AMP responses to glucose were similar in fed and starved islets. Also, in 10-min incubations with glucose 3.3, 6.7, 10.0, 13.3, and 26.7 mM without and with 0.1 mM and 1.0 mM 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, insulin release correlated strongly with the accumulation of 3H cyclic AMP in the islets of fed as well as starved rats. The thresholds for glucose-induced insulin and 3H cyclic AMP responses were higher and the maximal responses were lower in starved than fed islets. Preincubation of islets of 48-h starved rats with 16.7 mM glucose for 60 min corrected the impaired insulin and 3H cyclic AMP responses to glucose. Starvation-induced impairment of insulin secretory responses to glucose, and their restoration by preincubation with glucose in vitro, may represent acute regulatory effects of glucose on the adenylate cyclase-cyclic AMP system in the pancreatic beta cell.


Inhibitory effects of hypermagnesemia on the renal action of parathyroid hormone. Available evidence indicates that serum magnesium (Mg++) levels influence the secretion rate of parathyroid hormone (PTH). Whether serum Mg++ concentrations also modify the action of PTH on its target organs has not been definitively established. The present experiments were designed to study this possibility. The effect of infusing PTH on the urinary excretion of cyclic AMP (cAMP) and PO4= was examined in five normal dogs at two different levels of serum Mg++. At normal serum Mg++ concentrations (1.89 +/- 0.14 mg/100 ml), PTH infusion increased cAMP excretion from 1.76 +/- 0.27 to 4.87 +/- 1.00 nmol/min and fractional PO4= excretion (FEPO4) from 1.58 +/- 0.36% to 23.1 +/- 2.17%. When an identical amount of PTH was given to the same dogs at a serum Mg++ of 4.36 +/- 0.20 mg/100 ml, FEPO4 increased to only 6.02+/-1.89% and cAMP from 1.31 +/- 0.23 to 1.89 +/- 0.39 nmol/min. Identical results were obtained in thyroparathyroidectomized hypermagnesemic dogs. Increased serum Mg++ levels had no effect on the phosphaturia produced by the infusion of dibutyryl cAMP to thyroparathyroidectomized dogs. In vitro studies using rat renal cortical slices revealed a progressive decrease in cAMP production in response to PTH as the Mg++ concentrations were increased in the incubation medium. The overall results indicate that hypermagnesemia inhibits the phosphaturic response to PTH by decreasing the renal production of cAMP. Plasma magnesium, therefore, may participate in a double feedback mechanism, not only controlling the release of PTH, but also altering the biological activity of the hormone at the level of the target organ.


The lymphocyte beta-adrenoceptor in normal subjects and patients with bronchial asthma: the effect of different forms of treatment on receptor function. beta-Adrenoceptor function has been compared in lymphocytes of normal subjects, asthmatic patients taking large doses of beta-adrenergic bronchodilators, and comparable asthmatics treated exclusively with nonadrenergic medication. The effect of prolonged administration of beta-adrenoceptor agonists on receptor function in normal subjects has also been examined. beta-receptor response in each situation was quantitated by changes in levels of cyclic AMP, measured by a protein-binding assay. Dose response curves to isoproterenol (10 nM-0.1 mM) have been constructed for each group. Maximal increase in cyclic AMP in lymphocytes from normal subjects (393.2+/-44.0%) and in asthmatics on nonadrenergic preparations (408.3+/-46.7%) was significantly greater (P less than 0.001) than in asthmatics taking large doses of beta-sympathomimetics (67.5+/-24.2%). Depression of the cyclic AMP response appeared to correlate with the degree of exposure to beta-adrenergic agonists but not with the prevailing severity of the patient's asthma. Withdrawal of beta-adrenergic drugs was followed by a reversion of the cyclic AMP response to normal values, which suggests that the depression was drug-induced rather than an inherent feature of the disease. This interpretation was confirmed by the finding that prolonged exposure of normal subjects to high doses of a beta-adrenergic agonist caused a marked and significant (p less than 0.001) reduction in the cyclic AMP response, very similar to that seen in asthmatics on large doses of adrenergic bronchodilators. A possible link between drug-induced changes in the cyclic AMP response and the rise in the United Kingdom asthma death rate in the 1960's is discussed.


Bone resorption in organ culture: inhibition by the divalent cation ionophores A23187 and X-537A. The ionophores A23187 and X-537A were used as probes to investigate the possible role of calcium uptake by bone as a mediator for the stimulation of bone resorption induced by parathyroid hormone (PTH) and other agents in cultured mouse calvaria. The ionophores alone at concentrations from 1 nM to 20 muM did not stimulate bone resorption, nor did they potentiate bone resorption stimulated by submaximal concentrations of PTH after either brief (15-60 min) or extended (1-3 day) exposure to the ionophores. Unexpectedly, we found that the ionophores inhibit in a dose-dependent manner bone resorption stimulated by PTH and a wide variety of other compounds (prostaglandin E2, 1alpha-hydroxycholecalciferol, 3-isobutyl-1-methyl-xanthine, and phorbol myristate acetate). This inhibition was not due to irreversible damage to the bones by the ionophores, because the inhibition was reversible even after 24 h of treatment. Inhibition of bone resorption by the ionophores was observed in media of both high and low calcium concentration, indicating that the inhibition was not due to a critical extracellular calcium concentration. Inhibition by the ionophores differs qualitatively in several ways from that produced by calcitonin, a natural inhibitor of bone resorption. Furthermore, A23187 at 1.0 mug/ml had no effect on the accumulation of cyclic AMP in the medium of either control, PTH- or calcitonin treated calvaria. We conclude that the ionophores A23187 or X537A do not stimulate bone resorption nor potentiate the effects of stimulators of bone resorption; instead they are inhibitors of bone resorption stimulated by a wide variety of compounds.


Modulation of the cyclic AMP content of rat renal inner medulla by oxygen: possible role of local prostaglandins. The lower O2 tension and more active anerobic metabolism that pertain in the inner medulla (IM) of kidney relative to cortex (C) are well recognized, but there is no evidence that O2 availability constitutes a limiting or regulatory factor in IM metabolism or function. In the present in vitro study, we examined the effects of O2 on adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) metabolism in slices of rat renal C and IM. After a 20-min incubation of slices in Krebs Ringer bicarbonate buffer with 95% O2 + 5% CO2 serving as the gas phase, the cAMP content of IM was 6-10 fold higher than that of C in either the presence or absence of 2 mM 1-methyl-3-isobutylxanthine in the incubation media. In slices of IM incubated for 20 min with 1-methyl-3-isobutylxanthine, cAMP was 22.5+/-SE 2.48 pmol/mg wet weight at 95% O2 and 4.37 without O2. Oxygenation of O2-deprived IM increased cAMP twofold in 2 min, an effect fully expressed in 5 min (fivefold increase). Further, cAMP of IM rose progressively and significantly over a range of atmospheric O2 content from 0 to 50% conditions which should reproduce and encompass O2 tensions that pertain in tissues in vivo. By contrast, basal cAMP content of C varied less than twofold in the presence of 95% versus no O2, implying that O2 modulation of cAMP was specific for IM. Indomethacin and meclofenamate, structurally distinct inhibitors of prostaglandin synthesis, both significantly decreased basal cAMP accumulation in oxygenated slices of IM but not of C. Meclofenamate also reduced basal adenylate cyclase activity determined in homogenates prepared from slices of IM which had been incubated at 95% O2. In slices of IM previously exposed to indomethacin or meclofenamate at 95% O2, a maximally effective concentration of exogenous prostaglandin E1 restored cAMP and adenylate cyclase activity to levels which approximated those observed at 95% O2 in the absence of an inhibitor of prostaglandin synthesis. These results suggest that O2 enhancement of cAMP content in IM may be mediated at least in part by local prostaglandins.


Renal resistance to parathyroid hormone during phosphorus deprivation. Because previous studies have demonstrated that renal inorganic phosphate reabsorption is enhanced in rats after dietary phosphorus deprivation, we studied the effects of parathyroid hormone (PTH) upon inorganic phosphate reabsorption in acutely thyroparathyroidectomized rats stabilized on a low phosphorus diet to determine if the phosphaturic response to PTH is impaired during phosphorous depletion. Acutely thyroparathyroidectomized phosphorus-deprived rats responded only minimally to PTH, whereas similarly prepared animals stabilized on a high phosphorus diet exhibited a large phosphaturic response. Base-line urinary cyclic AMP values and PTH-induced increases in cyclic AMP excretion were similar in both groups. In other experiments, dibutyryl cyclic AMP elicited a greatly diminished phosphaturic response in phosphorus-deprived rats, as compared to their high phosphorus counterparts. These results indicate that the renal phosphaturic responses to PTH and cyclic AMP are impaired during dietary phosphorus deprivation. The impaired phosphaturia would contribute to phosphorus conservation and to the replenishment of inorganic phosphate stores after phosphorus depletion.


Regulation of low density lipoprotein receptor activity in freshly isolated human lymphocytes. Circulating human lymphocytes freshly isolated from venous blood of 15 normal subjects exhibited a low capacity to bind, take up, and degrade 125I-labeled low density lipoprotein (LDL). However, when these cells were incubated for 72 h in the absence of lipoproteins, they gradually acquired in increased number of high affinity cell surface receptors for LDL. The increase in the number of LDL receptors was associated with a 16-fold increase in the rate at which the cells were able to take up and degrade the lipoprotein. The LDL binding and degradation processes that developed in normal lymphocytes exhibited the following characteristics; (a) high affinity (saturation was achieved at LDL concentrations below 50 mug protein/ml); (b) specificity (unlabeled LDL was much more effective than human high density lipoprotein or other plasma proteins in competing with 125I-LDL for binding to the LDL receptor); and(c) feedback regulation (the increase in the number of LDL receptors that appeared after incubation of freshly isolated lymphocytes in lipoprotein-deficient medium was prevented by exposure of the cells to either LDL or a mixture of 25-hydroxycholesterol plus cholesterol but not to HDL). Freshly isolated lymphocytes obtaine from three subjects with the homozygous form of familial hypercholesterolemia failed to develop normal amounts of LDL receptor activity when incubated in medium devoid of lipoproteins. The current data indicate: (a) that the LDL receptors that appear on the surface of cholesterol-deprived, normal human lymphocytes are genetically identical to the previously characterized LDL receptors of cultured human fibroblasts and long-term lymphoid cells and (b) that at least one cell type in the human body, the circulating human lymphocyte, has the capacity to produce a high affinity LDL receptor that mediates the cellular uptake and degradation of plasma LDL.


Structural and functional changes in an identified cricket neuron after separation from the soma. II. Functional changes. Physiological and behavioural effects of separation from the soma were examined in isolated arborization and isolated axon segments of an identified motor neuron in the Polynesian field cricket, Teleogryllus oceanicus. The identified neuron, the contralateral dorsal longitudinal motor neuron of the metathoracic ganglion (CDLM), has an arborization most of which lies contralateral to its soma within the ganglion. Midline lesions in the ganglion separated CDLM into a distal segment composed of the axon and most of the arborization, and a proximal segment made up of the remaining arborization, neurite and soma. Isolated axonal segments were produced by cutting the nerve containing the CDLM axon. The function of the neuron-muscle system composed of CDLM, its pre-synaptic inputs, and its innervated muscle bundle was examined in contrl and experimentally operated animals. Extracellular recording assessed function in the axon. Electrical or tactil stimulation was used to excite pre-synaptic inputs to the CDLM arborization. Intracellular recording determined changes in post-synaptic potentials and miniature end-plate potentials in the muscle bundle innervated by CDLM. Normal axonal conduction, competence to respond to pre-synaptic input, neuron-muscle transmission, and miniature end-plate potential appearance can remain in the isolated arborization preparation. Physiological viability is longer in the cricket isolated arborization than in other insect distal segments described. Survival times of axonal conduction and the competence of the isolated arborization to respond to pre-synaptic input are roughly correlated with disappearance of the whole distal segment at 100 or more postoperative days. A naturally-occurring breakdown of the metathoracic dorsal longitudinal muscles in Teleogryllus eventually prevents measurements of post-synaptic potentials and miniature end-plate potentials. Normal post-synaptic function mediated by the distal arborization is maintained up to this breakdown, to a maximum of 44 days postoperative. The distal axonal segment of CDLM degenerates physiologically within four days postoperative, a time course approximating that of degeneration in vertebrate peripheral nerve distal axons.


Ultrastructural study of cylindroma (Poncet-Spiegler tumor). This report describes the ultrastructural characteristics of a Poncet-Spiegler tumor (cylindroma, turban tumor). This tumor was made up of two cell types and showed a ductal differentiation. Cells bordering duct-like structures were joined together by innumerable desmosomes, especially in places where the cell membranes were markedly invaginated. The arguments in favor of an eccrine or an apocrine for the origin of this sweat gland tumor are discussed.


[Stick-plaque test--an economic method of quantitative determination of viruses]. An economic method for quantitative assay of viruses is presented. In this "canule stick-plaque test" (German abbreviation SPT) samples of viruses, geometrically diluted and taken up by a canule, are inoculated by sticking into monolayer cell cultures overlayed with agar medium. A plaquelike CPE detectable by neutral red staining develops in the area of the inoculation. The frequency of this CPE formation depends on the concentration of viruses in the inoculated dilution. This dose-response allows calculation of the ID50. In this way it is possible to carry out titration involving 6 dilutions and 10 inoculations per dilution using 3 common Petri dishes (6 cm in diameter), only. The sensitivity, accuracy, and reproductibility of this method are described and discussed.


Replication of herpes simplex virus in mouse spleen cell cultures stimulated by lipopolysaccharide. Replication of HSV was demonstrated in spleen cell cultures of D2 and several other strains of mice after prestimulation with mitogenic doses of LPS for 2 days. No viral replication occurred in unstimulated cultures or in cultures prestimulated with PHA and Con A, whereas there was some viral replication in spleen cell cultures of D2 mice after prestimulation with Poly I-C. Spleen cells of B6 mice did not support replication of HSV under any of the conditions we have tested thus far. The reasons for this defect are not clear, but it was obviously not caused by a defective lymphoproliferative response to LPS or by an active anti-viral principle elaborated by B6 spleen cells. F1 hybrids between B6 and D2 mice were capable of HSV replication to the same extent as were spleen cells of D2 mice. Several strains of both HSV-1 and HSV-2 could be replicated in D2 spleen cells cultures. Nylon column treatment of D2 spleen cells removed the ability to replicate HSV, whereas macrophage removal from the spleens by plastic adherence was without effect. Purified peritoneal exudate cells from D2 mice did not support replication of HSV. Together these data suggest that B cells activated by LPS represent the target cell of HSV replication in mouse spleen cell cultures.


Stimulation of immune mechanisms against mammary tumors by incomplete T cell depletion. When BALB/cfC3H females are subjected to continous suction thymectomy, a procedure that results in retention of thymic remnants, the latent period before tumor development is significantly prolonged. However, when BALB/cfC3H females are thymectomized by control suction, a procedure which removes thymic lobes completely, there is no effect on mammary tumorigenesis. Our results show that incomplete T cell depletion causes premature onset of non-T cell cytotoxicity, an augmentation of T cell cytotoxicity, and an alteration in a serum-blocking activity to mammary tumor target cells as tested in microcytotoxicity assay. On the other hand, complete neonatal thymectomy effectively and completely abrogates immune response to mammary tumor target cells. The inability of completely thymectomized mice to generate an immune response to MTV suggests (but does not prove) that MTV-induced mammary tumor target cell surface antigens are thymus-dependent.


Natural immunity in cats to feline leukemia viral antigens. An isotopic antiglobulin assay was developed to measure antibodies in "normal" cats to FOCMA, a cell surface antigen associated with immunity to FeLV-induced tumors. The assay was shown to be specific for detecting FOCMA antibody by several criteria including a correlation with cell membrane immunofluorescence and absorption tests. Antibody to FOCMA developed following FeLV infection and was expressed in heterologous species. In combination with an assay for antibody to FeLV p30, the major virion structural protein, 200 cats sera from three different geographic areas were examined for evidences of FeLV-type-C-virus infection. Approximately 17% of all sera examined contained antibody to FOCMA. Antibodies directed to the FeLV p30 were detected in 8 of the sera and only in cats with FOCMA antibody. The correlation in cat sera between antibody to FOCMA and FeLV p30 antigen suggests that both are associated with the same process, infection with FeLV type-C-virus. The relationship of the observed pattern of antibody response is discussed in relation to other horizontally transmitted RNA-containing viruses.


Use of silica to identify host mechanisms involved in suppression of established Friend virus leukemia. Silica, an agent predominantly toxic for macrophages, inoculated i.v. to Friend leukemia virus (FLV)-infected mice, blocks the FLV-leukemosuppressive effects of chlorite-oxidized oxyamylose (COAM)-statolon treatment. FLV-infected, COAM-statolon-treated mice that have received silica and have failed to suppress FLV leukemia produced normal amounts of interferon, but did not make antibodies cytotoxic for FLV leukemic cells. Transfer of untreated spleen cells, splenic T cells, or thymocytes from mice with suppressed FLV erythroleukemia to FLV-infected mice treated with silica and COAM-statolon restores the humoral immune response to FLV antigens and results in leukemosuppression. Thus, T lymphocytes from mice with suppressed erythroleukemia participate in FLV leukemosuppression either directly as effector cells, or indirectly as helper cell in the production of antibodies to FLV antigens.


Trypsin-induced increase in intracellular cyclic AMP of lymphocytes. Trypsin increases intracellular levels of cylic AMP (cAMP) in lymphocytes. The trypsin-induced increase in cAMP is blocked by specific trypsin inhibitors and by high concentrations of different proteins. Several proteolytic enzymes from various sources, including other pancreatic proteases, do not cause an increase in cAMP under the same experimental conditions. Immobilized trypsin induced the same increase in cAMP as does free trypsin. The trypsin-induced rise in cAMP is not due to inhibition of cAMP phosphodiesterase, but consistent activation of adenylate cyclase by trypsin could not be demonstrated. The extent of the trypsin-induced increase in intracellular cAMP correlates with the type of the lymphocyte and with the state of maturity attained by the cells. Transformed lymphocytes and nonlymphoid cells do not react at all.


Immunity to virus-free syngeneic tumor cell transplantation in the BALB/c mouse after immunization with homologous tumor cells infected with type C virus. Syngeneic tumor cell lines free of endogenous type C virus or viral antigen antigen expression were derived from spontaneously occurring tumors of the BALB/cCr mouse. Two cell lines free of endogenous type C virus were examined and found to be highly tumorigenic in tumor growth kinetic studies. In vitro inoculation of these cell lines with Rauscher-murine leukemia virus (R-MuLV) resulted in their chronic infection in which 95 to 100% of the cells were scored as virus positive. These infected lines showed a highly significant increase in their immunogenicity as compared to their uninfected controls. Animals in which these virus-positive tumors regressed were then shown to be highly resistant to challenge with the uninfected tumor cell lines as well as to live R-MuLV. This observed resistance to uninfected tumor cell lines could not be induced by immunization of the mouse with uninfected tumor cells and R-MuLV simultaneously at the same injection site, nor could it be induced with lethally irradiated virus-infected tumor cells, subtumorigenic doses of uninfected cells, or inactivated R-MuLV or Gross leukemia virus (G-MuLV). Cell-mediated cytotoxicity studies revealed that spleen cells obtained from animals whose virus-infected tumors regressed were cytotoxic to homologous infected and uninfected tumor cells as well as to other uninfected tumor cell lines syngeneic to the BALB/c mouse. Correlation of in vitro cytotoxicity with in vivo immunity was provided by the Winn assay, by inoculation into susceptible mice of immune and nonimmune spleen cells premixed with uninfected tumor cells. The immune cells were highly effective in preventing this tumor cell transplantation. It was concluded that type-C virus infection of these syngeneic tumor cells resulted in their acquiring strong transplantation antigens that were in part due to the virion, but were at least in part due to alterations of antigens or haptens that are present in a less immunogenic form on the uninfected tumor cell.


Cytomegalovirus infection in weanling guinea pigs. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection of weanling guinea pigs was studied after subcutaneous and intracerebral inoculation of virus. No clinical illness appeared by day 24 after subcutaneous inoculation, even though animals developed persisting infection in many tissues, with marked variation in histogogic expression. Virus was obtained in higher titer from homogenates of salivary gland and thymus tissue. In other organs, including the brain, virus was found only be cocultivation of trypsinized liver tissue cells with guinea pig embryo cells. Appearance of virus in tissue culture was sometimes delayed for more than a month. After intracerebral inoculation, multifocal inclusion cell encephalitis developed, with spread of virus to other organs. Histologically this condition resembled findings in renal transplant patients with CMV infection. The study of CMV infection in guinea pigs may yield information applicable to human CMV infection.


Clinical trials of immunization with the Towne 125 strain of human cytomegalovirus. The Towne 125 strain of human cytomegalovirus (CMV), adapted to growth in human diploid cell strain WI-38 and propagated in this cell line for 129 consecutive passages, was administered to male volunteers with or without preexisting antibodies to CMV. Infection was not achieved by intranasal administration. In contrast, subcutaneous inoculation of virus induced seroconversion in all seronegative volunteers and a booster antibody response in some previously seropositive individuals. Transient local reactions occured at the site of inoculation of the virus, but systemic symptoms and signs of disease were notably absent.


The effects of colestipol on the metabolism of very-low-density lipoproteins in man. Bile acid-binding resins, currently used for the treatment of Type II hyperlipoproteinemia, decrease LDL cholesterol by 25 to 35 per cent. Elevations of plasma triglycerides sometimes occur with resin therapy, suggesting that alterations in metabolism may not be confined solely to LDL. To characterize the effects of the resins on lipoproteins in greater detail, we carried out two studies using colestipol. In the acute study, seven Type IIA patients were studied on a metabolic ward before and for the first 7 to 10 days after initiation of therapy. Blood samples were drawn after 12 to 14 hour fasts every 1 to 3 days during hospitalization and at frequent intervals thereafter for the first 2 to 6 months of therapy. In the chronic study, 12 Type II patients were studied as outpatients at monthly intervals. Three fasting plasma samples were obtained before therapy and three additional samples were ovtained between 3 and 12 months after commencement of treatment. Lipoprotein quantification of individual plasma samples was performed by combined ultracentrifugal and MnCl2-heparin precipitation techniques. The size distribution of ultracentrifugally isolated VLDL was assessed by column chromatography in Sepharose 2B. In the acute study, LDL-Chol fell 24 to 28 hours after initiation of therapy in each subject. Concomitantly, VLDL-TG rose. By days 5 to 8, mean LDL-Chol of the group had fallen by 30 per cent and mean VLDL-TG had risen by 35 per cent. Although mean VLDL-Chol also rose (by about 14 per cent), since VLDL-TG rose more, VLDL became enriched with respect to TG. At peak triglyceridemia, LDL and HDL were also found to be relatively TG-enriched. Between 7 and 30 days after initiation of therapy, VLDL-TG levels returned to and below baseline as LDL-Chol continued to fall. LDL and HDL compositions also returned toward baseline. On gel filtration chromatography of VLDL, obtained during therapy, a peak, which was not present in baseline samples, appeared in the void volume of the column. The amounts of VLDL eluting in the usual positions were also increased. Thus, acute therapy was accompanied by (1) transient rises in levels of triglyceride-enriched VLDL of apparently larger size, (2) falls in LDL-Chol, and (3) changes in the composition of LDL and HDL. In the chronic study, mean total-Chol fell from 345 to 258 mg. per deciliter and mean LDL-Chol fell from 277 to 188 mg. per deciliter (p less than 0.001 for both comparisons). Total-TG and VLDL-TG were not significantly altered. The compositions of VLDL and HDL were unchanged from pretreatment values while LDL became relatively TG-enriched. These findings suggest that acutely colestipol produced alterations in the metabolism of all lipoproteins, but that with prolonged therapy, the levels of VLDL and HDL returned toward pretreatment levels.


Longevity syndromes: familial hypobeta and familial hyperalpha lipoproteinemia. Longevity and morbidity and death from myocardial infarction were examined in eight kindreds with familial hypobeta lipoproteinemia and in 18 kindreds with familial hyperalpha lipoproteinemia. Expectation of life for males and females from kindreds with hypobeta lipoproteinemia was 9 and 12 years longer (p less than or equal to 0.002) than that indicated by population statistics for U.S. white populations, whereas expectation of life for males and females from kindreds with hyperalpha lipoproteinemia was 5 and 7 years longer (p less than 0.02). Morbidity from myocardial infarction in 115 living first-degree adult relatives of probands with hypobeta and hyperalpha lipoproteinemia and in 364 living first-degree adult relatives of normolipemic spouse controls were compared. Nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI) was reported for 18 of 364 (5 per cent) relatives of normal spouse controls and in 0 of 115 relatives of hypobeta and hyperalpha subjects (p less than 0.05). The ratios (mean+/-S.E.) of C-LDL to C-HDL in familial hypobeta and hyperalpha lipoproteinemia were 0.79+/-0.06 and 1.21+/-0.06, as compared to 2.41+/-0.12 in a control population (p less than 0.001). If high-density lipoproteins confer protection against development of atherosclerosis, whereas low-density lipoproteins have opposite effects, then we speculate that the low ratio of C-LDL:C-HDL may be related to prolonged longevity and decreased morbidity from myocardial infarction in familial hypobeta and hyperalpha lipoproteinemia.


Effects of catecholamines on the lipolysis of two kinds of fat cells from adult rabbit. The administration of various catecholamines and adrenocorticotropic hormone to adult rabbit elevated plasma glycerol concentration. These catecholamines also induced the in vitro lipolysis of isolated interscapular fat cells but could not bring about the lipolysis of epididymal ones, while adrenocorticotropic hormone induced the lipolyses of both kinds of fat cells. It may be speculated from these results that catecholamines liberated endogenously in adult rabbit cannot act on all systemic adipose tissues but have lipolytic effects on a part of them.


Phospholipid removal during degradation of rat plasma very low density lipoprotein in vitro. The hydrolysis of glycerophospholipids in very low density lipoprotein by enzyme(s) released into circulation after the injection of heparin to rats was studied. [32P]Lysolecithin was formed rapidly from [32P]lecithin when very low density lipoprotein, labeled biosynthetically with 32P, was incubated with postheparin plasma. The [32P]lysolecithin was associated with the plasma protein fraction of density greater than 1.21 g/ml, whereas [32P]lecithin exchanged between very low and high density lipoproteins. Inhibition of the plasma lecithin: cholesterol acyl transferase activity did not change the excess [32P]lysolecithin formation in postheparin plasma, and only a negligible amount of radioactivity was associated with blood cells when the incubation was repeated in whole blood. Analysis of the results has demonstrated that phospholipids are removed from VLDL by two pathways: hydrolysis of glycerophospholipids by the heparin-releasable phospholipase activity (greater than50%) and transfer to high density lipoproteins (less than50%). The tissue origin of the postheparin phospholipase was studied in plasma obtained from intact rats and supradiaphragmatic rats using specific inhibitors of the extrahepatic lipase system (protamine sulfate and 0.5 M NaCl). The phospholipase activity could be ascribed to both the hepatic and extrahepatic lipase systems. It is concluded that hydrolysis of glycerophospholipids is the major mechanism responsible for the removal of phospholipids from very low density lipoprotein during the degradation of the lipoprotein. It is suggested that phospholipid hydrolysis occurs concomitantly with triglyceride hydrolysis, predominantly in extrahepatic tissues.


Effect of epinephrine on the oxidative desaturation of fatty acids in the rat. The effect of epinephrine on the oxidative desaturation of fatty acids by liver microsomal preparations of rats has been studied. Administration of epinephrine (1 mg/kg body weight) produced a significant decrease in desaturation of [l-14C]=linoleic acid to gamma-linolenic acid and of [L-14C]alpha-linolenic acid to actadeca-6,9,12,15-tetraenoic acid 12 hr after the infection. Lower doses produced a lesser effect on the delta6-desaturation activity. Epinephrine administration modified the V max of linoleic acid desaturation but not the K m. There was also a slight increase in palmityl desaturation activity. The effect of epinephrine on delta6-desaturation activity was postulated to be mediated through an enhancement of the intracellular cyclic AMP levels that lead to an increase of a glucose metabolite. This metabolite would inhibit delta6-desaturation activity.


Aliphatic medium chain tricarboxylic acids in rat urine. Three aliphatic tricarboxylic acids have been found in rat urine. They have been identified as 6-carboxy-5-undecenedioic acid, 6-carboxy-5-dodecenedoic acid, and 6-carboxy-5-tridecenedioic acid. The carbon skeleton structure was determined by mass spectra of the hydrogenated methyl esters. The double bond position was determined after osmium tetroxide oxidation followed by trifluoroacetylation and mass spectrometry and by infrared spectrometry. The compounds were present in the urine when the rats were fed on pellets but disappeared when they received sucrose and water. The acids were not present in the pellets, and a metabolic relation to compounds of longer chain length, possibly mycolic acids, is likely.


Effects of free fatty acids on the enzymic synthesis of diacyl and ether types of choline and ethanolamine phosphoglycerides. Activities of ethanolaminephosphotransferases (EC 2.7.8.1) and choline phosphotransferases (EC 2.7.8.2) in microsomal fractions from brains and livers of mature rats are increased several fold by the addition of 1,2-diacyl-sn-glycerols or 1-alkyl-2-acyl-sn-clycerols. Oleic acid added with diacylglycerols stimulated further the synthesis of lecithins by liver microsomes, confirming the work of Sribney and Lyman (Can J. Biochem. 51: 1479-1486, 1973). With alkylacylglycerols, oleic and stearic acids were inhibitory and linoleic acid was even more inhibitory for the synthesis of both 1-alkyl-1-acyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylcholines and the corresponding ethanolamine compounds with microsomes from both tissues. Free fatty acids without added diglycerides had mixed effects. These results are best explained by postulating the presence of two isoenzymes each for ethanolaminephosphotransferase and cholinephosphotransferase of which only one is affected by free fatty acids. Regulation of the phosphotransferases by free fatty acids may determine the proportion of CDP-choline and CDP-ethanolamine used for synthesis of diacyl and alkylacyl types of these phosphoglycerides.


Antibodies in human sera to oncorna virus-like proteins from normal or leukemia marrow cell cultures. Some human marrows in culture release particles with oncornavirus-like properties. This study was designed to examine the immunological properties of similar particles in human marrow culture supernates. Leukemic and nonleukemic marrows were cultured for 5-7 days in the presence of [14C]uridine and [3H]leucine or [3H]glucosamine. Labeled supernatant components banding in sucrose gradient densities of 1.20-1.24 g/ml were used as antigen in a double antibody immunoprecipitation assay. The assay was validated by end point titrations and competition with unlabeled antigen; purified myeloma proteins were used as negative controls. Cross-reactivity with mammalian oncornaviruses, as judged by competitive inhibition of precipitation by these viruses, was slight and at the border of the sensitivity of the method. Precipitated antigens analyzed by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis contained three distinct polypeptides of about 70,000, 45,000 and 30,000 mol wt; these comigrated with the gp 70, pg 45, and p 30 of a murine leukemia virus. Similar polypeptides were obtained from both leukemic and nonleukemic marrow culture supernates. As determined by the radioimmunoprecipitation assay, 32 of 45 leukemic sera (71%), 36 of 45 normal sera (80%), 15 of 19 sera from family contacts of leukemic patients (79%), 14 of 21 cord blood specimens (67%), and 21 of 23 sera (91%) from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus had detectable antibody activity.


Role of interferon in the pathogenesis of virus diseases in mice as demonstrated by the use of anti-interferon serum. I. Rapid evolution of encephalomyocarditis virus infection. The role of interferon in the pathogenesis of encephalomyocarditis (EMC) virus infection was determined by treating mice with potent, partially purified sheep anti-mouse interferon globulin. In control mice, EMC virus was present in low titers in various visceral organs but attained high titers in the brain towards the 4th to 5th day, at which time mice died with signs of central nervous system disease. In mice treated with anti-mouse interferon globulin, virus was present in high titer in visceral organs 24--36 h after viral inoculation and virtually all mice were dead by 45 h. This rapid evolution of EMC virus infection was not observed in mice treated with the globulin fraction prepared from a normal sheep, from a sheep exhibiting a low anti-mouse interferon-neutralizing titer, nor from a sheep having a high titer of antibody to human leukocyte interferon. The experimental results indicated that anti-interferon globulin neutralized the interferon liberated by virus-infected cells, thus permitting extensive virus multiplication in several visceral organs. We conclude that interferon is an important early component of host resistance to this virus infection.


Role of interferon in the pathogenesis of virus diseases in mice as demonstrated by the use of anti-interferon serum. II. Studies with herpes simplex, Moloney sarcoma, vesicular stomatitis, Newcastle disease, and influenza viruses. The effect of potent sheep anti-mouse interferon globulin was investigated in several different experimental virus diseases of mice. In anti-interferon globulin-treated mice infected intraperitoneally with herpes simplex virus (HSV) type I, the latent period was shortened, and the overall LD50 was increased several hundredfold compared to virus-infected control mice. When HSV was inoculated subcutaneously all anti-interferon globulin-treated mice died, whereas only 5% of virus-infected control mice died. Subsequent treatment with anti-interferon globulin of previously HSV-infected mice did not result in reactivation of HSV. Treatment of adult mice with anti-interferon globulin resulted in an earlier appearance of MSV-induced tumors, a greater number of mice bearing tumors, an increase in tumor size, and an increase in the duration of tumors. All tumors eventually regressed despite reinjection of anti-interferon globulin. Anti-interferon globulin treatment resulted in a rapid onset of disease and death in adult mice inoculated (intranasal) with VSV and in newborn mice infected with NDV. Anti-interferon globulin exerted no effect on the course of influenza virus infection of mice. We conclude that the early production of interferon is an importane element in the response of the mouse to several viruses exhibiting different pathogeneses.


A morphological and genetic mapping study of bald colony mutants of Streptomyces coelicolor. Twelve bld mutations of Streptomyces coelicolor resulting in a lack of visible aerial mycelium were mapped genetically. The mutants were classified into three groups on the basis of colony morphology, production of antibiotics and morphology on different carbon sources. Four map locations were found for the bld genes and three of these were very near the loci of whi genes, which are also involved in differentiation. Closely linked bld mutations had similar phenotypes.


Preservation of encysted polytomella.

Preservation of encysted polytomella. Cysts of Polytomella parva and Polytomella caeca were recovered after 7 days storage at cryogenic temperatures following drying on shredded filter paper, silica gel or without added substrate. Accelerated storage testing, by exposing dried material to elevated temperatures, indicated that shredded filter paper was the best of the substrates tested. Polytomella parva was recovered after 5 years storage at -30 degrees C when dried on filter paper but not when dried on silic agel. Determinations of the number of cysts recovered indicated that viable cysts survived all conditions of storage tested. However, excystment following storage was delayed, the extent depending on storage conditions and the substrate used for drying. Most rapid recovery occurred when cysts were rehydrated immediately after drying, and after storage on filter paper at below -70 degrees C.


Long-term persistent vesicular stomatitis virus and rabies virus infection of cells in vitro. BHK 21 carrier cells persistently infected with VSV Indiana for over 2 years have been shedding generally very low levels of mature infectious virus or mature T particles (averaging less than one-hundredth p.f.u./cell/day) yet most cells are producing virus antigens and are resistant to homologous superinfection. However, large amounts of biologically active T particle RNP can be recovered from cytoplasmic extracts of these carrier cells even at times when they are shedding no detectable infectious virus. This recovered cytoplasmic RNP replicates (with helper B virions) to produce mature T particles, interferes strongly after DEAE dextran-facilitated uptake and, together with B virions, allows the establishment of a persistent carrier state in exposed cells. No 'provirus' DNA copies of the VSV RNA genome are detectable (less than 1/40 copy/cell or I copy per 40 cells) in carrier cells after more than 2 years of persistent infection, and all transfection attempts have failed using DNA from these VSV carriers or DNA from carrier cells persistently infected with some other negative strand RNA viruses (measles, mumps, LCM, influenza, rabies). Infectious viruses shed after more than I year from carrier cells originally infected with wild-type B virions are small plaque mutants showing a slight temperature sensitivity. Cured cell populations can be obtained from the long term VSV carrier culture by cloning in the presence or absence of antiviral antibody.


RNA synthesis in BHK 21 cells persistently infected with vesicular stomatitis virus and rabies virus. Virus-induced RNA synthesis was studied in BHK 21 cells persistently infected with vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) and rabies virus by labelling RNA synthesized in the presence of antinomycin D. During persistent infection the species of messenger RNA synthesized were similar in size and relative proportions to those seen during acute infection, but there were some minor differences. Full-sized B virion RNA was generally not detected during persistent infection, and new species (probably DI virion RNA) appeared.


Inhibitory effect of herpes simplex virus type 1 on type 2 virus replication. Simultaneous infection with herpes simplex type I and type 2 viruses of chick embryo fibroblasts (CEF), which are only permissive for type 2 virus, or rabbit embryo fibroblasts (REF), which are permissive for both virus types, resulted in a marked reduction of type 2 virus production. This effect was dependent on the m.o.i. of type I, being expressed at a high rather than a low m.o.i. The rate of interference decreased with the prolongation of the interval between infection with type 2 and type I viruses. No evidence suggestive of interferon involvement was obtained. Partial inactivation of type 2 virus by ultraviolet irradiation enhanced the inhibitory effect of type I virus. On the other hand, u.v. irradiation of type I virus resulted in a progressive loss of inhibitory activity. The results of the present experiments suggest that a type I genome function is responsible for the interfering effect, and that an early step in the growth of type 2 virus is sensitive to the particular type I virus product involved.


Enhancement by phytohaemagglutinin of inactivation of herpes simplex virus by concanavalin A. Inactivation of herpes simplex virus (HSV) by concanavalin A (Con A) was enhanced by treatment with phytohaemagglutinin (PHA)-P using a two-stage reaction procedure. Treatment with PHA alone failed to inactivate HSV. Enhancement of inactivation was also effective when HSV was exposed to PHA first. Our results suggest that the envelope of HSV contains receptor sites for Con A which are important in the infectious process, as well as receptor sites for PHA which are not critical for infectivity. Direct interaction of Con A with PHA was demonstrated and the reaction was reversed by alpha-methyl-D-glucoside. The data indicate that PHA stabilized the binding of Con A to the virus since reversal of inactivation by alpha-methyl-D-glucoside was minimal following treatment with Con A and PHA. Con A inactivated only enveloped virions and enhancement by PHA was a general phenomenon.


Pathogenesis of cytomegalovirus infection. Distribution of viral products, immune complexes and autoimmunity during latent murine infection. During studies on the mechanisms of virus latency, reactivation and resultant tissue injury in mice infected with murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) in utero or at birth, we found the occurrence of three distinct pathological groups. In the first group, mice died within 4 weeks of exposure to virus and showed evidence of tissue injury due to MCMV in multiple tissues and organs of the body. The second group consisted of mice which survived the initial infection and was composed of a minority (about 25%) which shed virus (chronically infected). The third group (about 75%) consisted of mice in which shedding of virus could not be detected (latently infected). Study of the latter group indicated that virus was not detected in brain, thymus, liver, kidneys, urine or serum by co-cultivation techniques or by cellular DNA-MCMV DNA hybridization. In contrast, virus could be activated from spleen cells by co-cultivation with allogenic but not syngeneic feeder cells and MCMV-DNA was detected in amounts equivalent to 3 to 4 virus genomes per 100 spleen cells. In both the latently infected and chronically infected mice, in all strains studied evidence of virus-antivirus immune complex deposits in the renal glomeruli occurred. Only one of the six infected strains (C57 Br/cdJ) studied showed manifestations of autoimmune disease with the formation of antibodies to nuclear antigens, DNA and soluble nucleoprotein.


Homologous interference induced by a temperature-sensitive mutant derived from an HVJ (Sendai virus) carrier culture. Homologous interference between a temperature-sensitive small plaque mutant (HVJ-pB) derived from an HVJ (haemagglutinating virus of Japan - the Sendai strain of parainfluenza I virus) carrier culture of BHK cells and the original wild-type virus (HVJ-W) has been investigated. Prior infection of LLCMK2, HeLa, BHK or mouse L cells with HVJ-pB, both at permissive and non-permissive temperatures, for 24 h resulted in a reduced yield of superinfecting HVJ-W, reflecting a smaller number of cells capable of producing the superinfecting virus. However, HVJ-pB did not interfere with the replication of vesicular stomatitis virus, Sindbis virus or Newcastle disease virus. Interference in this system seems to be due to inhibition of the attachment of superinfecting HVJ-W as a result of intracellular mechanisms operating at a late stage in the replication of the interfering virus. There is also blocking or destruction of cellular receptors by extra-cellular particles of the interfering virus. Protein synthesis coded for by the complete virus genome is required to establish and maintain the interference, and treatment with actinomycin D has no effect on the interference phenomenon.


The tuberous sclerosis syndrome: clinical and EEG studies in 100 children. The evolution of the early clinical and EEG features in 100 children who developed the tuberous sclerosis syndrome is discussed with particular emphasis on individual variability of epileptic manifestations, skin changes, and mental defect. There were 61 boys and 39 girls. Seizures of various kinds occurred in 98 and in the first 2 years of life infantile spasms were a prominent feature (69) with a partial overlap of other kind of seizures (75). Mental defect (88) and poorly pigmented areas of the skin (77) were already detectable in the first 1 to 2 years of life, while fibroangioma of the face (adenoma sebaceum) (77) and intracranial calcifications (35) became increasingly apparent after the age of 2 to 4 years. The EEG abnormalities tended to be gross in the first 2 years of life, but their subsequent evolution was towards multifocal alterations and some areas of relatively better preserved rhythmic activity. The evolution of the various skin lesions did not run parallel either with that of the clinically detectable seizures or with the appearance of intracranial calcifications.


Accumulation of 99mTc-diphosphonate in four patients with hepatic neoplasm: case reports. The accumulation of bone-seeking radiopharmaceuticals in extraosseous lesions has been reported in patients with myocardial infarctions, cerebral infarctions, and some soft-tissue tumors. While the precise mechanisms involved remain uncertain, the spectrum of abnormalities exhibiting such accumulation increases. In our laboratory, 99mTc-diphosphonate concentrated in four hepatic tumors (one cholangiocarcinoma and three metastases from colon carcinoma). This property of phosphate-related radiopharmaceuticals has not been reported previously. Awareness of the possibility of focal diphosphonate accumulation in the liver should help avoid confusion with right lower rib-cage metastasis or pleural effusion.


Delineation of peripheral bone infarcts in a child with a rare hemoglobinopathy (SOArab) and purpura fulminans: case report. A 27-month-old patient with SOArab hemoglobinopathy complicated by purpura fulminants was studied with 99mTc-pyrophosphate. The study showed an absence of radiotracer in the bones of both feet and the distal portions of both hands, along with an increased concentration of radiotracer proximal to the regions of absent radiotracer. Subsequent amputation of the distal portions of all four extremities was necessary because of dry gangrene. The amputation site in each extremity (selected on clinical grounds only) corresponded closely to the junction of absent and increased bone radiotracer, suggesting that bone imaging may be used as an aid in determining the extent of nonviable tissue in similar patients.


Infection and disease induced in chimpanzees with 6/94, a parainfluenza type 1 virus isolated from human multiple sclerosis brain. A parainfluenza type 1 virus (6/94) recovered from brain cell cultures of two patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) was inoculated into newborn chimpanzees by the intranasal (IN) or intracerebral (IC) routes. Four of the five animals receiving the virus IN developed clinical signs ranging from mild fever, with or without rhinorrhea, to severe respiratory disease. Two of the chimpanzees died as a result of pneumonia. Virus could be recovered from respiratory tracts for as long as 9 days after exposure and was followed by development of specific neutralizing antibody to the 6/94 virus but not to the HA2 strain of parainfluenza type 1. Brain examination showed astrocytosis, especially of posterior fossa structures, activation of microgliacytes and, in one animal, round cell infiltration of leptomeninges. Of thse three animals receiving virus IC, two developed recurrent seizures beginning 14 months after inoculation. One of these was sacrificed at 23 months of age after progressive neurologic disease, with electroencephalographic abnormalities, developed. The third animal died at 3 months of age of intercurrent pneumonia. No virus was recovered from these animals, although all showed antibody conversion to 6/94 but not HA2 virus. A variety of pathologic lesions were seen in the brains of both animals coming to necropsy particularly in the sacrificed chimpanzee. These included subacute encephalitis, extensive cortical and subcortical degeneration, vascular sclerosis, white matter gliosis and axonal dystrophy.


Immunization of rabbits with secific components of postsynaptic membrane. Acetylcholinesterase and cholinergic receptor. Rabbits were immunized versus either an acetylcholinesterase- or a cholinergic receptor-rich fraction isolated from the electric organ of Torpedo marmorata. In both groups of animals we obtained a production of specific antibodies detected by immunodiffusion without cross reaction for the two antigens. Only rabbits immunized with the receptor-rich fraction developed a progressive flaccid paralysis, which affected first the leg muscles, progressively the neck muscles and eventually the respiratory muscles. The paralysis lasted in several animals up to 20 days. Eserine reversed the paralysis only in the first days but was ineffective in the "chronic" stage of the disease. In these animals high frequency stimulation of sciatic nerve induced a rapid failure of the responses of the anterior tibialis muscle while the muscle responded normally to a direct stimulation. A period of rest allowed a complete recovery of the muscle from fatigue. Tetani did not evoke the post-tetanic potentiation. Abnormalities, such as lymphocytic infiltration, fibers atrophy and necrosis, smearing and widening of Z line were sometimes present in muscles of Cho-R-immunized rabbits. In ACh-E immunized animals the neuromuscular transmission and the muscle morphology were similar to that of normal animals. Glycogen, ATP, cytochrome C oxidase, phosphorylases and acetylcholinesterase did not change significantly in the muscles of the immunized animals, while a large increase of cholineacetyltransferase activity was present. Red blood cell acetylcholinesterase showed a particularly high activity in ACh-E-immunized animals. The autoimmune paralysis induced in Cho-R-immunized rabbits may be a useful experimental model for further studies on human myasthenia gravis.


Effect of antibiotics on growth of the immature rat. The purpose of this study was to quantify the growth promoting effect of a mixture of antibiotics for rats eating diets deficient in protein or an essential amino acid. Male albino weanling rats (70 to 80 g weight, 4 weeks old) were fed (a) a control diet containing all other required nutrients and varying amounts of casein (0 to 27%), or (b) a purified amino acid diet containing all other required nutrients and varying amounts of valine (0 to 70 mumoles/g diet), threonine (0 to 69 mumoles/g diet) or tryptophan (0 to 8.6 mumoles/g diet), with and without an oral antibiotic supplement consisting of neomycin sulfate (10 mg/100 g body weight/day), bacitracin (500 units/100 g body weight/day), and polymyxin B sulfate (1 mg/100 g body weight/day). At suboptimal intake of casein, valine, tryptophan or threonine, rats eating antibiotic-enriched diet showed up to 3 times greater daily body weight gain (deltaBW) than rats eating a similar diet without antibiotics. The growth-promoting effect of antibiotics can be expressed as percent sparing of specified nutrient (casein or individual amino acid), defined as below: (see journal) where nutrient intakeO ab or nutrient intakeab represents that intake of casein or of a particular amino acid which is required to produce a specific deltaBW in antibiotic-free or antibiotic-supplemented group, respectively. The percent sparing was inversely proportional to the dietary content of casein or limiting amino acid. For diets containing 10% to 25%, 25% to 50%, 50% to 75%, and 75% to 100% of the daily requirement of the limiting nitrogenous nutrient, sparing on the average was greater than 80%, 60%, 20%, and less than 10%, respectively. Data on daily food intake of ad libitum fed rats, and data from an experiment with tube-fed rats, showed that the growth-enhancing effect of antibiotics was independent of changes in food intake.


Serum lipid and lipoprotein responses of six nonhuman primate species to dietary changes in cholesterol levels. The response of serum lipids and lipoproteins to different levels of cholesterol in the diet was studied in chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), rhesus (Macaca mulatta), green (Cercopithecus aethiops), patas (Erythrocebus patas), squirrel (Saimiri sciurea) and spider (Ateles sp.) monkeys. Five animals of each species were fed increasing amounts of dietary cholesterol (0.05% to 1.5% W/W) for 3-week periods; between each experimental diet, the animals were fed a basal diet without cholesterol for a similar period. Serum cholesterol response of different species measured in terms of response index (area under the time-concentration curve above basal value) varied with the dietary cholesterol content and showed a significant interspecies difference at 0.5% dietary cholesterol (1.8 mg/kcal) level. The overall response for the different diets allowed ranking of the species as follows: squirrel greater than green greater than spider approximately equal to rhesus approximately equal to patas greater than chimpanzee. The serum lipoprotein response was reflected not only in an increase in beta-lipoprotein but also in alpha-liprotein with significant differences among species in the amount of cholesterol transported in the lipoprotein classes. Challenging the animals with dietary cholesterol seems to be an essential step for determining inter- and intraspecies differences.


Differentiation of mouse neuroblastoma cells in vitro and in vivo induced by cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). The murine neuroblastoma appears to be a useful model for elucidating the mechanism of cellular differentiation. In tissue culture, MNB cells were induced to "irreversibly" differentiate into neuronal-like cells by DBcAMP alone or in combination with cAMP phosphodiesterase inhibitors: papaverine (Pap) and theophylline (Theo). Cells differentiated by DBcAMP, Pap, and Theo were no longer tumorgenic when reinoculated into animals of the host strain. In vivo, DBcAMP, Pap, and Theo caused a reduced tumor volume growth rate in animals with established tumors. Morphologically, this effect appears to be secondary to an arrest of cellular mitoses. Cells insensitive to these agents emerged after 3 to 4 days, and tumor growth accelerated to parallel the rate of the untreated tumors.


Effects of cyclic nucleotides on mammalian motor nerve terminals. This research examined the effects of several cyclic nucleotides on in vivo cat soleus nerves and muscles. The reagents were administered by rapid close intra-arterial injection while electrical activity in single motor axons and contractile activity in the whole muscle were monitored. Cyclic N6-2'-O-dibutyryl adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (dibutyryl cAMP) initiated bursts of action potentials in unstimulated axons. It also caused the occurrence of stimulus bound repetitive potentials in stimulated axons. It caused the muscle to undergo a series of rapid asynchronous contractions and potentiated the strength of stimulus-evoked contractions. Monobutyryl cAMP produced similar responses, but was less potent than dibutyryl cAMP. cAMP produced only a small, transient depression of neuromuscular transmission. There was no response to dibutyryl cyclic 3',5' guanosine monophosphate or sodium butyrate. None of these reagents affected denervated muscle. The results suggest that cAMP-like materials that can penetrate nerve membranes cause depolarization of motor nerve terminals, prolongation of the depolarization of the terminal initiated by an action potential and release of transmitter.


A role of cyclic nucleotides in neuromuscular transmission. This research explored the possibility that cyclic nucleotides are part of the excitation-secretion sequence in mammalian motor nerve terminals. A series of reagents known to react with the enzymes that synthesize and degrade cyclic nucleotides or that are effectors of cyclic nucleotide actions were administered to in vivo cat soleus nerve-muscle preparations. The reagents were administered by rapid close intra-arterial injection while electrical activity in single motor axons and contractile activity of the muscle were monitored. NaF, an activator of adenylate cyclase, evoked bursts of action potentials in unstimulated axons and caused stimulus-bound repetitive activity in stimulated axons. It evoked vigorous asynchronous activity in the muscle and potentiated the force of muscle contraction. These effects are identical with those of cyclic N6-2'-O-dibutyryl adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate (dibutyryl cAMP). Prostaglandin E1 produced similar effects. Dithiobisnitrobenzoic acid and alloxan, inhibitors of adenylate cyclase, impaired neuromuscular transmission and prevented the effects of NaF, but they did not change the responses to dibutyryl cAMP. Theophylline, an inhibitor of phosphodiesterase, caused axons to respond repetitively to stimulation, but this activity had a different pattern from that produced by dibutyryl cAMP or NaF. Pretreatment with theophylline enhanced the responses to dibutyryl cAMP and NaF. Imidazole, an activator of phosphodiesterase, impaired neuromuscular transmission and prevented the effects of dibutyryl cAMP and NaF. Adenosine, an inhibitor of protein kinase, or verapamil, which inhibits calcium flux, impaired neuromuscular transmission and prevented the responses to dibutyryl cAMP, NaF and theophylline. These results are compatible with the hypothesis that cAMP is involved in the regulation of calcium flux and transmitter secretion in mammalian motor nerve terminals.