Dextran-induced anaphylactoid reactions in man: role of dextran reactive antibodies. Dextran reactive antibodies (DRA) were studied in 123 patients having experienced dextran-induced anaphylactoid reactions (DIAR) during 1970-1975. No evidence for reaginic DRA was obtained by radioallergosorbent technique and passive cutaneous anaphylaxis in Cynomolgus monkeys; total IgE levels were within normal range. It is concluded that DIAR are not mediated by dextran-specific reagins. Further, no reaginic antibodies against potential contaminants from the dextran manufacturing process were demonstrable. In two population samples of normal human sera from Sweden and Germany hemagglutinating DRA (IgG, IgA, and IgM classes) were found in 63 and 74%, high titres (16-256) comprising 14 and 25%. In dextran reactors a direct positive correlation between titres of hemagglutinating DRA and increasing severity of DIAR was observed. The accumulation of high DRA titres in severe reactions may be taken as circumstantial evidence for the causal role of hemagglutinating DRA in these cases. However, if high titres of DRA alone were responsible for triggering DIAR, the expected frequency would be more than thousand times higher than the reported global incidence of DIAR. To explain this discrepancy, involvement of certain Ig classes or subgroups, possibly in combination with other predisposing factors is suggested. In mild reactions DRA appear to play a negligible role. Positive dextran wheal and flare reactions, often correlated with high titres of hemagglutinating DRA, were seen in 32% of dextran reactors, indicating that skin tests are of limited predictive value. No significant difference between sexes, age groups, or pre- and intraoperatively started dextran infusions was observed; association with certain diseases was not apparent.


Effect of catecholamines and sympatholytics on survival and circulatory parameters in protracted anaphylactic shock of guinea pigs. Protracted anaphylactic shock of guinea pigs led to death in over 90% of the animals, and good protection was obtained with an infusion of adrenaline after dibenamine pretreatment. Adrenaline alone, in doses which prevented the anaphylactic fall of arterial blood pressure, had no beneficial effect. Practolol abolished the therapeutic action of the combination of dibenamine/adrenaline. Stimulation of beta-receptors by isoproterenol did not increase the survival rate. With dopamine, however, a significant prolongation of the survival times was obtained.


The requirement of thymus competence for both humoral and cell-mediated steps in expulsion of Nippostorngylus brasiliensis from mice. The worm damaging process (step 1 of Nippostrongylus brasiliensis expulsion from rodents) does not occur in congenitally thymus-deficient (nude) mice as determined by worm morphology, female worm fecundity, and kinetics of worm expulsion upon transfer into normal rats. Expulsion of damaged N. brasiliensis (step 2) does not occur subsequent to transfer of such worms from rats into nude mice. Morphological changes and reduced fecundity appeared in adult worms from normal thymus-bearing mice as early as the first day of patency (day 6 of infection). Thus, the worm damaging process is initiated several days earlier in mice than in rats and may, therefore, account for the reduced longevity of N. brasiliensis in mice compared with rats.


Cryoprecipitates and immune complexes: differentiation between cold insoluble immune complexes and nonspecific cryoprecipitates. Cold insoluble circulating immune complexes occurred in 77% of rabbits immunized with 125I BSA. 9.8% of the total cryoprotein was 125I BSA. This represented 43% of the serum antigen. Tripling the antigen concentration in vitro decreased the amount of cold insoluble antigen by as much as 83%. In nonspecific cryoprecipitates only 0.4% of the total cryoprotein was 125I BSA. This represented only 0.028% of the serum antigen. Tripling of the antigen concentration in vitro increased the amount of cold insoluble antigen. Cold insoluble circulating immune complexes occur at a critical antigen-antibody ratio and can be differentiated from nonspecific cryoprecipitates.


Effect of alterations in metabolic rate on the duration of tolerance in neonatally injected animals. Exposure to low environmental temperature caused a decrease in the half-life of human albumin (HA) in rabbits injected with 20 mg HA at birth, and a twofold increase in the proportion of animals which lost their tolerance by 150 days of age. Administration of thyroxin produced an even greater effect with respect to tolerance loss. Simlar mechanisms may be involved in the effects of cold exposure and thyroxin administration on tolerance duration. One possible mecahnism is that the duration of tolerance is dependent upon the metabolic half-life of the tolerance-inducing antigen. An alternative mechanism could be a cold- or thyroxin-induced enhancement of the recruitment of immunologically competent cells from an undifferentiated population of stem cells.


Studies on passive transfer of anti-dextran and anti-egg albumin reactivity in the rat. We were unable, passively, to transfer reactivity against dextran to the skin or peritoneal mast cells of non-dextran-reactive rats, by using serum or material eluted at pH 3 from mast cells of spontaneously dextran-reactive rats. When the dextran-reactive donor rats had also been immunized against egg albumin (EA) with pertussis vaccine (inducing IgE anti-EA antibody), passive sensitivity against EA (but not against dextran) could easily be transferred. The results indicated that the anti-dextran reactivity is not due to IgE antibody. Systemic reactions against dextran and EA differed in pattern, supporting the concept that the two substances acted through different mechanisms.


IgE production in five inbred rat strains following immunization with alum-precipitated egg albumin. Five inbred rat strains were assessed for their ability to mount IgE responses to alum-precipitated egg albumin (alum EA). Fischer (FI) and Lewis (LE) rats which possess the B1 at the major histocompatibility (Ag-G) locus exhibited weak IgE responses to this antigen. High titer IgE responses were obtained in rats possessing the B3 allele at the Ag-B locus. In some instances the anti-EA IgE response was enhanced following an infection with Nippostrongylus brasiliensis. An effort was also made in these studies to determine whether or not there is some correlation between high IgE production and a depressed capacity for cellular immunity. The basis of these experiments was twofold: (a) recent reports have shown elevated serum levels of IgE in some clinical diseases where cellular immunity is depressed, and (b) in the studies reported here, high titers of IgE were obtained in one rat strain known to be somewhat deficient in its capacity for cellular immunity, whereas very low titers were produced by a strain which is much stronger in this respect. From the results obtained, there appears to be no correlation between IgE production and an inherently weaker capacity for cellular immunity.


Adenylate cyclase activity in heart and lung: effect of epinephrine and histamine in control and sensitized guinea pigs. The effect of epinephrine and histamine on adenylate cyclase activity in lungs and hearts of control and ovalbumin-sensitized guinea pigs was investigated. Epinephrine at 10(-6) M concentration stimulated adenylate cyclase from both organs of the sensitized animals but had no effect on the enzyme from control tissues. At 10(-4) M, epinephrine stimulated equally the enzyme activity from the control and sensitized lungs and hearts. Histamine, 10(-6) and 10(-4), stimulated equally adenylate cyclase in tissues from both groups of animals. The results suggest that ovalbumin sensitization leads to hypersensitivity of the beta-adrenergic receptors to epinephrine without changing their sensitivity to histamine.


Diagnosis of reaginic allergy with house dust, animal dander and pollen allergens in adult patients. I. A comparison between RAST, skin tests and provocation tests. RAST analyses were performed with house dust, animal dander and eleven pollen allergens in 410 adult patients with asthma and/or rhinitis and the findings were compared with skin test and provocation test results. The overall correlation between 1,316 provocation tests and RAST was 78% and the correlation between 1,778 skin tests and RAST was 66%. The relationships between RAST and in vivo tests differed considerably from allergen to allergen. No significant differences were found between various age groups. According to the in vivo tests the RAST showed more often positive results in patients with pronounced allergy than in patients with low-grade allergy. Higher RAST classes were most often combined with positive in vivo tests. It is concluded that in cases with RAST classes 2-4, a reasonably well-established allergy diagnosis can be reached without the inclusion of additional in vivo tests. In other cases, however, application of further diagnostic methods is required.


Immunoglobulins in nasal secretion with special reference to IgE. I. Methodological studies. Different ways of collecting relatively large volumes of nasal secretion with as physiological a composition as possible were studied. Nasal secretion was collected by the so-called nasal spray washing method from 5 patients with allergic rhinitis due to pollen and 5 healthy persons during a pollen-free season. The collection was performed without any provocation and following nasal provocation with histamine or allergen solution. With the radioimmunosorbent test, in which the lower limit of measurement was 0.1 units/ml, IgE could be quantified in 52 of 60 analysed secretions. IgA, IgG and albumin were demonstrated in all secretions. In the allergic patients, following histamine and allergen provocation, a relative increase in the concentration of IgE and albumin and a significant decrease of the IgA/albumin ratio in nasal secretion was found. In the healthy subjects, such changes in the secretion were observed only after histamine provocation. Calculations also suggested some local production of IgE, but not at all of the same order of magnitude as of IgA.


In vitro activity of anti-DNA antibodies from SLE patients in antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Peripheral blood lymphoid cells from normal individuals were cytotoxic to target cells coated with DNA when incubated with serum from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) but not when incubated with serum from normal subjects. Sera from SLE patients with clinically acitve disease were more active than sera obtained from those patients in remission. In the absence of normal lymphocytes, SLE sera were not cytotoxic to the DNA-coated cells. The active fraction in the serum appeared to be IgG anti-DNA antibodies. These studies indicate that anti-DNA can operate through the antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity mechanisms in vitro.


Anaphylactoid reactions in rats and the blood sugar level. When the blood sugar level in rats is reduced by insulin, the carrageenan-anaphylactoid reaction in one hindpaw is inhibited although the dextran-anaphylactoid reaction in the other hindpaw of the same animals is potentiated. When the blood sugar level is raised after alloxan pretreatment, the carrageenan reaction is potentiated whereas the dextran reaction is inhibited. The results support the hypothesis that the two local irritants exert their effects by involving different mechanisms.


Carrageenan and dextran in rats.

Carrageenan and dextran in rats. Carrageenan injected subcutaneously into one hindpaw of the rat produces an anaphylactoid reaction which prevents the same paw responding to a second dose 14 days later but does not alter the response to dextran. However, dextran does not modify the response of the hindpaw to a subsequent dose of either dextran or carrageenan 14 days later. When using these models of inflammation for testing the anti-inflammatory activity of drugs, valuable extra information may be gained by adopting the cross-over technique and using both paws of each animal.


Immunoglobulins in nasal secretion with special reference to IgE. II. Seasonal studies of Timothy-specific IgE-antibody in patients with allergic rhinitis. 14 adult patients with allergic rhinitis due to timothy pollen were observed for 13 weeks during the grass pollen season. IgE, IgA and timothy-specific IgE antibodies could be quantified in all serum and secretion samples. Total IgE and specific IgE antibodies in both serum and secretion reached significantly higher levels in samples taken during and after the pollen season than before the season. These seasonal changes proved to be significantly more pronounced in nasal secretion than in serum. An indication of local production in the nasal mucosa of IgE, IgA and secific IgE antibodies was also found.


Serologic languages and the A1-A2 blood groups.


Factors in the tissue eosinophil responses in human immediate hypersensitivity reactions. Factors underlying the eosinophil responses in the tissue sites of immediate hypersensitivity reactions have been investigated. A quantitative assessment of the number of eosinophils appearing in skin test reactions to ragweed antigen and compound 48/80 in ragweed-sensitive humans has been compared with several other parameters. There was a moderate, statistically significant, correlation with serum levels of IgE-class antiragweed antibody; also, eosinophil responses were minimal or absent in minimally positive threshold dilution skin tests. Tissue eosinophil responses were generally limited to those with baseline blood eosinophil levels of at least 150 mm3; however, there was no correlation between blood and tissue eosinophil levels in individual subjects. These findings suggest that the pathogenesis of the observed tissue eosinophil responses may be multifactorial.


Preparation and stability of 131I-tetracycline.


From heroin to methadone-social role changes and reinforcement differentials in relation to outcome on methadone. Part II. The study of social role changes. The life-styles of addicts who are Successful, Marginally Successful, and Failures in a methadone maintenance program are examined by in-depth interviews in five time periods-early family life, the preheroin period, late heroin, premethadone, and methadone maintenance. The hypothesis is confirmed that the more the methadone patient has managed to develop a new and more conventional set of peer group, familial, and occupational roles, the greater the likelihood of his success on methadone maintenance. The in-depth view of the groups over time suggests that the pattern of alternation of positive reinforcements and punishing situations may be associated with outcome.


Behavioral competence training: a model of rehabilitation. Approaches to the treatment and rehabilitation of drug abuse populations are examined. It is argued that a new model is needed which will more effectively assist in the task of rehabilitation than traditional psychiatric treatment or completely medically oriented programs. A Behavioral Competence Training Model is proposed, based on learning concepts of behavior and psychosocial definitions of adjustment. Its implications for assessment, therapeutic design, and research are discussed. It is concluded that despite possible limitations, the model has a definite place in the rehabilitative process, and may effectively be included in any multiform program serving a diverse population.


The veridicality of addicts' self-reports in social research. This report examines the accuracy or veridicality of information obtained through interviews with drug addicts. Comparisons were made between the self-reports on six items of the interview and official records of the Baltimore City Police Department, the Baltimore City Juvenile Court, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The findings provide no evidence of systematic distortion intended to "cover-up" the criminal side of addict life. While errors of recall probably do affect self-reports, the incomplete status of official records frequently used to validate self-reports should be of equal concern.


Group embedded figures test performance as a predictor of cognitive impairment among alcoholics. The present study investigated the sensitivity of the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) as a predictor of cognitive impairment among alcoholics. The GEFT, Shipley-Hartford, and Memory-for-Designs tests were administered to 90 male alcoholics. GEFT performance correlated significantly with measures of impairment even when the influence of age and education were controlled. Field-dependent Ss performed at a significantly more impaired level on measures of abstract reasoning, perceptual-motor function, and short-term visual-spatial memory when compared with intermediate and field independent Ss; no differences were found among groups on general verbal ability. The results suggest that the GEFT might profitably be included in screening batteries for impaired cognitive function.


Drug dependence and self-esteem.

Drug dependence and self-esteem. A number of recent studies have dealt with variables related to self-esteem, but despite suggestions in the literature, there are few empirical studies concerned with the association between self-esteem and drug dependence. In an investigation of self-esteem, 71 subjects completed semantic differential forms for their self and ideal-self concepts. Four hypotheses were investigated. It was predicted that differences in self-esteem (as measured by the discrepancy between self and ideal-self concepts), would be found between inpatient and outpatient groups, males and females, intravenous and oral users, and between drug-dependent subjects and a control group. No differences were found between inpatients and outpatients, or between intravenous and oral groups. However, females who were dependent upon drugs were found to have lower self-esteem than males in terms of the evaluation factor. No such sex differences were found between all drug groups and the control group on the evaluation and potency factors. It is suggested that the results show considerable deficiencies of self-esteem among drug-dependent patients, and that female addicts are especially deficient in this respect. In terms of etiology, this association between drug dependence and low self-esteem may indicate that those individuals with a deficient self-image who are exposed to drugs may be at risk; this may carry implications also for alcohol and nicotine dependence. It is suggested that self-image therapy may be of value for certain drug-dependent patients, especially females.


Nonmedical drug use by high school students: a three-year survey study. The characteristics of high school student nonmedical drug users and nonusers were assessed by three successive yearly surveys. The surveys asked about respondents' personal, parent, and family characteristics; their behavior; their attitudes concerning themselves; their parents and family, adult society, and school. Drug use estimates for respondents' parents and peers, as well as themselves, were also assessed. Drug users were consistently different from nonusers in many areas. The incidence of drug increased in each of the three successive surveys, drug users tending to be older and male. With regard to behavior, drug users more frequently acted in a nonadult approved manner than nonusers. Drug users estimated their parents more likely to use alcohol and cigarettes, and estimated more peers to use nonmedical drugs than nonusers. Prediction of drug users from the data could be made with 80% and better accuracy. The findings are discussed in terms of their significance in understanding the nature of adolescent drug use.


A follow-up study of dropouts from a methadone maintenance program. This is a follow-up study of 112 dropouts from one of the largest methadone maintenance programs in New York City. It was found that 47% of the sample were on methadone at other programs at the time of the follow-up interviews, 26% were drug-free, 16% were using drugs, and 11% were in institutions. However, because of certain sample biases, inferences to the total population of dropouts were made through weighted estimates. A more accurate, although approximated, percentage distribution of the outcomes is that 20% of all dropouts were on methadone at other programs, 43% were drug-free, 23% were using heroin again, and 14% were in institutions. Some of the implications of these findings are discussed.


An application of stepwise discriminant analysis to the characterization of military heroin dependents, illicit drug users, and psychiatric patients. This application of stepwise discriminant analysis explores a way to structure skewed-sample interview data, discusses some implications of the results and the conceptual limitations of assumptions about deviancy, and suggests a focus for future studies of the complex phenomena of drug abuse. The methodology differs from previous reports in that it uses a constant probability level, letting the computational procedure determine the number of significant variables. It also provides a method of determining the "chance" level (the amount of correct classification when there are no differences between the groups) so that the observed correct classification values may be usefully interpreted.


A unique approach to methadone maintenance service delivery.


Prediction of successful response to multimodality treatment among heroin addicts. In an effort to identify predictor variables associated with successful response to multimodality treatment among heroin addicts, this investigation compared addict-clients classified by means of behavioral ratings into success and failure groups on 16 social history and 18 psychological variables using stepwise discrimination techniques. Statistical analyses correctly classified 100% of the treatment failure group and 92% of treatment successes. Successful clients were characterized by more advanced educational achievement at intake, later onset of opiate use, higher scores on MMPI Scales Es and L, and lower scores on MMPI Scale 7. Results suggest that collection and nanlyses of such data at intake may provide a reliable basis for prediction of treatment outcome as well as an objective means for early identification of "high risk" individuals who may require a more concentrated and individualized therapeutic effort.


Evaluation of drug prevention programs by youths in a middle-class community. Based on an analysis of data fron a survey of middle-class junior and senior high school youths in a New York City surban community, this paper examines: (1) young peoples' reaction to various drug prevention programs in which they have involved and (2) the program topics they would like to see discussed. Important relationships are found to exist between substance use, prevention program evaluations, and desired program topics. The results suggest that the youths selectively relate to and want prevention experiences that confirm their substance relationships.


Retention of patients in the New York City methadone maintenance treatment program. The retention, termination, and readmission of patients admitted to the New York City Methadone Maintenance Program from November 1970 through the end of 1973 were analyzed. Sixty-seven percent of patients remained in continuous treatment for 1 year and 50% for 2 years. The retention of patients admitted in successive years declined. Women had somewhat higher retention than men, as did patients over age 30 compared with those 30 or under; there were no differences among ethnic groups. Termination rates were determined for specific reasons for termination from the program as a function of length of time in treatment and also for calendar trimesters. A sharp increase in the rate of voluntary terminations was noted during the second and third trimesters of 1973. Rates of readmission to the program were obtained, specific for reason for first termination and length of time in initial treatment. One out of five terminated patients was readmitted to the program within 24 months.


Minamata disease with a long-term follow-up.


Pathogenesis of mental retardation in amino acid disorders.


Historical reflections on the backgrounds of neurophysiology: inhibition, excitation, and integration of activity.


Connections of superficial and internal adrenal veins. Histologic specimens, microangiograms, as well as corrosion and dissection preparations of 220 human adrenals were evaluated in order to determine the venous pattern. All the glands were subjected to examination after injection of Micropaque into the central vein. Numerous connections of intra-and extraglandular veins were demonstrated. They varied in calibre from a few microns to 2 mm. The distribution of anastomoses was not uniform. They was much more numerous of the anterior aspect than on the posterior of renal surfaces of the gland. The anastomoses play an important part in adrenal function and adrenal circulation, creating the possibilty of bidirectional onflow of the venous blood from the gland. Such venous arrangement permits to ligate safely the central vein and to fill both venous systems (intra-and extraglandular) with opaque medium during adrenophlebography.


Uremic autonomic neuropathy: evaluation of ephedrine sulphate therapy for hemodialysis-induced hypotension. The hemodynamic response to ephedrine sulphate were studied in a patient on maintenance hemodialysis therapy with chronic renal failure due to renal amyloidosis. The evaluation (including cardiac catheterization studies) and estimation of responses to Valsalva maneuvers before and after ephedrine administration documented the diagnosis of autonomic insufficiency. Oral ephedrine failed to influence the episodes of severe dialysis-induced hypotension. Also the patient did not benefit from the infusion of Aramine. These studies suggest that catecholamine stores of adrenergic nerves may be depleted in uremic patients with clinical signs of autonomic neuropathy.


Double renal biopsy with Menghini needle. The complications of percutaneous renal biopsy with Menghini needle, performed in 400 cases by the author, are reviewed. Position of the kidney was located by intravenous pyelography and was checked by further radiography if 1. the pyelogram was of inadequate technique, 2. the kidneys were small, or 3. ptotic. In two thirds of the cases the specimens were taken in duplicates, so as to provide sufficient material for light-, electron-, polarization-microscopic and immunofluorescent studies. On the evidence of the present observations the technique of double biopsy involves no higher incidence of complications than the conventional procedure, nor did it cause complications of major severity in the individual cases.


Tumours of the testis. A report of 128 cases. The records of 128 patients treated between 1960 and 1971 at the University Hospital, Lund, because of tumour of the testis were analysed in respect of age at onset of the tumour, symptoms, histology, diagnosis, treatment and survival rate. Teratoma occured in 67 cases, in the majority at the age of 20-30 years. Treatment consisted in orchiectomy, lymphadenectomy, administration of cytostatics and radiation alone or combined, depending upon the histology and spread of the tumour. The 5-year survival rate was 40%. Sixty-one patients had seminoma, most of which appeared between 30 and 40 years of age. The patients were treated with orchiectomy and radiation. The 5-year survival rate was 82%.


Q fever in the Republic of Ireland.

Q fever in the Republic of Ireland.


Food consumption trends in Ireland.

Food consumption trends in Ireland.


Glucose tolerance in viral hepatitis.

Glucose tolerance in viral hepatitis.


Left colon reconstruction of the pharynx after pharyngolaryngectomy.


Non-paraprotein producing myeloma.

Non-paraprotein producing myeloma.


Typing of hyperlipoproteinemia in an Israel hospital. In this study we report on lipid and lipoprotein levels among a patient population at the Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem. The normal group consisted at 65 examinees whose mean plasma cholesterol and triglyceride levels were 208 and 104 mg/dl, respectively. Lipoprotein lipid levels were determined after ultracentrifugation and specific polyanion precipitation. All procedures were monitored by lipoprotein electrophoresis on paper. The mean levels of very low density, low density and high density lipoproteins of the normal group, expressed as cholesterol, were 24, 140 and 44 mg/dl, respectively. Of the 285 patients investigated, 280 were classified as having lipoprotein patterns of type IIa (117), IIb (90) or IV (73); two patients had type III; and three patients had type V hyperlipoproteinemia. All groups differed considerably in their plasma lipid and lipoprotein levels. Based on individual values the ratios of plasma triglyceride to plasma cholesterol and plasma triglyceride to very low density lipid cholesterol were calculated. The low density lipoprotein cholesterol content was also calculated by subtracting the high density lipoprotein and an assumed very low density lipoprotein cholesterol content (plasma triglyceride level divided by 5) from the total plasma cholesterol. It is suggested that by the use of these values, together with lipoprotein electrophoretic procedures, the ocrrect typing of hyperlipoproteinemia can be established for most patients, without the use of the ultracentrifuge.


Effects of exposure to Finnish sauna.

Effects of exposure to Finnish sauna. Pathophysiological effects of exposure to Finnish sauna (80 to 90 C, 30 to 40% relative humidity) were investigated in 60 volunteers--33 men and 27 women aged between 18 and 63 years. The volunteers entered the sauna after a rest period of 20 min, and remained there for 20 min or until they suffered discomfort. Weight, height, rectal and skin temperatures, blood pressure, heart and respiratory rates and ECG were recorded 20 min prior to the sauna, during the sauna, and 20 min after leaving the sauna. Marked physiological changes appeared in the first few minutes in the sauna without any prodromal warning. At the 20th min the mean heart rate was 143 +/- 25 (SD) beats/min (greater than 160 beats/min in 32% of the subjects). Mean rectal temperature was 38.6 +/- 0.6 (SD) C (greater than 39 C in 22%): mean skin temperature was 40.4 +/- 1 (SD) C (greater than 40 C in 35%); mean systolic blood pressure was 130.5 +/- 26.6 (SD) mm Hg (greater than 160 mm Hg in 17%); and mean diastolic pressure was 66.6 +/- 15.9 (SD) mm Hg (greater than 50 mm Hg in 17%). The mean total sweat loss was 457 +/- 264 (SD) g. Three subjects experienced syncope, and one developed an anginal attack; ECG changes suggestive of coronary insufficiency were recorded. No decrease in blood pressure occurred in patients with preexisting high blood pressure. It is concluded that sauna bathing involves dangers to the bather's health, which may appear suddenly, without prodromal warning signs.


Cardiovascular complications in matched pairs of low and normal renin hypertensive patients. A nomogram for plasma renin activity (PRA), based on 31 normal volunteers, was constructed, and the 95% tolerance limits were computed to the regression line of PRA on 24-h urinary sodium excretion. On this nomogram, reproducibility of the PRA profile for the same patient with essential hypertension was good. Retrospectively, 20 essential hypertension patients with low PRA were matched for age and sex with essential hypertension patients with normal PRA. No statistically significant difference was found between the two groups in either the number of cardiovascular complications or in the blood pressure means. It is concluded that the incidence of cardiovascular complications tends to be similar in all cases of essential hypertension of a similar degree of severity.


Variations in acoustic admittance related to type of ear tip. A plea for a standardized method. In order to assess the validity of using various ear tips, tympanometry and acoustic admittance were studied in 20 young healthy subjects, and three different types of ear tip used to seal the external auditory canal. Significant variations in the admittance components and tympanometry curves were observed, resulting most probably from changes in the canal volume and the physical nature of the tipe. It appears advisable to develop and adopt an appropriate, standard ear tip for studies of admittance audiometry.


Effect of levan on the stages of development of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis. Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis was induced in male guinea pigs of the N13 strain by inoculation of an emulsion of basic protein of myelin with complete Freund's adjuvant. The disease was also passively transferred to other animals of the same strain by i.p. injection of sensitized lymphocytes obtained from donors inoculated with the antigenic emulsion eight days previously. Daily administration of levan markedly reduced the incidence and severity of the disease in actively sensitized animals. Little, if any, effect was obtained by levan treatment of animals with the passively transferred disease. The findings indicate that the previously reported inhibitory effect of levan on the development of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis is probably due mainly to a derangement of the afferent path (stage of sensitization). Administration of levan also causes a depletion of lymphocytes in the lymph nodes and this may presumably also affect the efferent path.


Echocardiographic findings in constrictive pericarditis. A case report. The echocardiographic findings in a 73-year-old woman with constrictive calcified pericarditis are presented. The diagnosis was confirmed by physical examination, chest X-rays and cardiac catheterization. The echocardiogram demonstrated abnormal motion of the interventricular septum and of the left ventricular posterior wall, multiple thickened echoes of the posterior pericardium, and a localized dense band of anterior pericardial echoes, which corresponded to the calcification seen on the chest X-ray.


Hypercalcemia during the polyuric stage of acute renal failure. Hypercalcemia developed during the polyuric phase of acute renal failure in a patient with crush injury. The hypercalcemia persisted for one week, with a maximal serum calcium level of 13.1 mg/dl. Possible mechanisms for the hypercalcemia are discussed, with emphasis on the combined effect of extensive tissue damage and acute renal failure.


Prenatal diagnosis of heterozygous beta-thalassemia. The parents of a child with homozygous thalassemia of the beta O variety requested prenatal diagnosis during a subsequent pregnancy. At the 19th week of pregnancy, a sample of blood containing fetal cells was obtained by placentocentesis. Radiochromatography of globin chains demonstrated production of a beta-chain with a beta/gamma synthetic ratio of 0.049, which is low for this gestational age. The conclusion that the child would be heterozygous for the beta-thalassemia gene was confirmed after birth.


Osteogenesis imperfecta with mitral insufficiency due to ballooning of the mitral valve. A case report. A further case of osteogenesis imperfecta with valvular heart disease is added to the 12 already reported in the literature. The presence of a dilated mitral annulus and a ballooned mitral leaflet in this case together with the findings reported in the literature leave little doubt as to the relationship between the valvular lesion and the underlying connective tissue disorder.


Chordal rupture: a common complication of myxomatous degeneration of the mitral valve. In two patients with a clinical picture of acute mitral insufficiency, the presence of chordal rupture secondary to myxomatous degeneration of the mitral valve was disclosed during surgery. There was no evidence of previous rheumatic valvulitis, subacute bacterial endocarditis or other etiologies. It appears from the literature and from the cases described that ruptured chorda tendinea is a not uncommon complication of myxomatous transformation of the mitral valve. While this fact has been mentioned in anatomophological reports, clinicians are less aware of the association. In the absence of supportive evidence for a rheumatic or arteriosclerotic etiology, a clinical picture of acute mitral insufficiency should suggest ruptured chorda tendinea secondary to myxomatous degeneration of the mitral apparatus. This is particularly true in older patients, especially among those followed for a midsystolic click-late systolic murmur or an apical pansystolic murmur of pure mitral regurgitation.


Membrane-bound immunoglobulin on cells on effusions from patients with malignant diseases.


Cholesterol content of gallstones in Israel.


Fertility and perinatal and infant mortality in the Jewish population of Beersheba and the Negev, 1972. There were 4,569 Jewish births in the Negev (southern Israel) in 1972, the first year of birth registration by the Unit for Evaluation and Planning of Kupat Holim and the Ben-Gurion University center for Health Sciences. The crude birth rate was 28.8 per 1,000 population, with 130.7 live births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 years. Total fertility was 3.9 per woman, varying from 3.4 in the kibbutzim and 3.5 in Beersheba to 5.2 in the moshavim (collective settlements) and 3.7 to 6.3 in the development towns. Late fetal and perinatal death rates were 9.4 and 19.0/1,000, and the neonatal and infant mortality rates, 11.0 and 18.1/1,000 respectively. The proportion of males was 0.51, the twinning rate was 9.5/1,000 women delivered, and 1.1% of babies were illegitimate. Low birth weight (less than 2.5 kg) was recorded in 6.9% of births. Fifty-three percent of births were to immigrant mothers from North Africa; the remainder were divided equally among mothers born in Israel, the Asian Near East, and Western countries. The Asian immigrant group was at high risk for infant death, with a rate of 3.64/1,000 as compared with 14.8, 14.2 and 5.8 recorded for the offspring of mothers born in Israel, North Africa and Western countries, respectively. Patterns of mortality in relation to maternal age, birth order and education were similar to those reported for developed countries.


Predictive value of cervical dilatation rates in labor in multiparous women. A modified version of Philpott's partogram, previously used by us to analyze patterns of labor in primiparous and grand multiparous women in Israel, was applied to multiparous women. The results for labor in multiparous women closely resemble those found for primiparous and grand multiparous labors. The rate of cervical dilatation, as measured early in the active phase of labor [initial rate (IR)], is an accurate indicator of the outcome of labor. Ninety-eight percent of all multiparas with an IR of cervical dilatation of 0.75 cm/h or greater delivered spontaneously. Sixty-two percent of women with an IR of less than 0.75 cm/h required an assisted delivery or cesarean section. Mean IR of cervical dilatation for spontaneous deliveries, assisted deliveries, and cesarean sections were, respectively, 1.53, 0.67, and 0.46 cm/h. No significant differences were observed among different population groups. Cervical dilatation rates among all parities appeared similar. The only major difference was in dilatation rates for assisted delivery in primiparas, which were faster than in labors in multiparous or grand multiparous women.


Tay-Sachs disease in a Moroccan Jewish family:  a possible new mutation. The parents of a Jewish Moroccan family, in which a previous child had died of Tay-Sachs disease, both proved to be carriers of the mutant gene. Hexosaminidase A activity in the father was similar to that in Ashkenazic heterozygotes, while the mother showed extremely low hexosaminidase A activity in peripheral leukocytes. Amniocentesis was performed on the mother during a subsequent pregnancy; the fetus proved to be affected and the pregnancy was interrupted. Acrylamide isoelectrofocusing of fetal liver and leukocytes of additional family members revealed a variant mutation for Tay-Sachs disease.


Frequency and distribution of sister chromatid exchanges in human peripheral lymphocytes. The frequency and distribution of sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) were examined in a population of 10 normal individuals (five males and five females) and compared with those in patients with various numerical and structural chromosomal aberrations. Statistically significant differences within each group were observed among the normal subjects as well as among patients with similar cytogenetic aberrations. A consistent nonrandom distribution of SCE, with regard to chromosome length, was demonstrated, with a significant increase of SCE in the centromere region of some chromosomes.


Coexistence of factor XI (plasma thromboplastin antecedent) deficiency and Gaucher's disease. The findings of Factor XI (plasma thromboplastin antecedent) deficiency in a patient with Gaucher's disease was investigated. A family study, which included measurements of leukocyte glucocerebrosidase activity and Factor XI levels, revealed that the two genetic disorders segregated independently. One of 12 additional unrelated patients with Gaucher's disease showed a diminished Factor XI level and two of seven unrelated  Factor XI-deficient patients showed decreased glucocerebrosidase activity. It is possible that the common occurrence of both genetic disorders results from a high gene frequency of both defects in Ashkenazic Jews.


Effect of calcium content of diet on absorption of diphenylhydantoin. The effect produced by changes in the calcium content of the diet on the plasma concentration of diphenylhydantoin was studied. In subjects on a high calcium intake, plasma diphenylhydantoin levels were significantly lowered, probalby resulting from both the formation of an insoluble calcium-drug complex and the direct effect of calcium on the intestinal membrane. A similar but less pronounced effect was observed when calcium-rich foods were excluded from the diet. These observations indicate the need for a balanced calcium diet during diphenylhydantoin treatment.


Distribution of room size in hospitals.

Distribution of room size in hospitals. In the design of such complex buildings as hospitals the planner's problem is to provide a minimal amount of permanent structure so that it shall not get in the way of functional behavior of the occupants and their ability to change their environment. The purpose of this study was to discover which intervals seem to occur in hospitals by measuring the room size distribution found in existing buildings or buildings ready for construction. The results seem to confirm that the range of room sizes required is small and that exceptions are relatively rare.


Chronic saline loading in anoxic renal failure in rats. The effect of saline loading was compared in two types of experimental acute renal failure--due to i.m. administration of glycerol or to anoxia. In the glycerol model, chronic saline loading for about three weeks  prior to the experiment achieved almost complete prevention of the uremia. The blood urea and serum creatinine levels 24 h after the experiment were 44 +/- 2 and 1.3 +/- 0.3 se) mg/dl, respectively. The values for the water-drinking rats were 292 +/- 23 and 3.7 +/- 0.4 mg/dl, respectively. In the anoxic model of acute renal failure, produced by uninephrectomy and contralateral renal artery clamping, chronic saline loading reduced the severity of the resultant uremia, although less impressively than in the glycerol model. The blood urea and serum creatinine 24 h after the experiment were 148 +/- 15 and 1.8 +/- 0.2 mg/dl, respectively. The values for the water-drinking rats were 237 +/- 15 and 2.3 +/- 0.2 mg/dl, respectively. Plasma renin activity was similar in the saline-loaded rats in both the toxic and anoxic models. It seems, therefore, that all known models of acute renal failure have at least a common pathogenic mechanism, which can be influenced by chronic saline loading prior to onset of the disease, and which is most probably not renin dependent. In the anoxic model additional factors, which cannot be counteracted by chronic saline loading, are active in the development of uremia.


How many beds should a hospital department serve? Departmental cost functions are constructed for selected hospital departments, using total number of beds in the hospital served as a proxy output measure. Calculation of maxima or minima for the resulting cost functions reveals that, on average, different departments have extremes in their cost functions of different levels of output. A relative cost index is constructed, using parameters of the departmental cost functions, and departmental costs are compared across regions. The significance of departmental differences in optimum output is discussed with regard to sharing of services and modified system design.


Episodes of illness and access to care in the inner city: a comparison of HMO and non-HMO populations. Using data from a 1974 household survey, accessibility to ambulatory care is compared for residents of an inner-city area (East Baltimore) whose usual source of care is an HMO (the East Baltimore Medical Plan) and residents of the same area with other usual sources of care. Accessibility is measured by the probability of receiving care for an episode of illness. Results from multivariate linear and probit regressions indicate that children using the HMO are more likely to receive care than are children with other usual care sources, but no significant differences in the probability of receiving care are found among adults. Evidence of a substitution of telephone care for in-person care is also found among persons using the HMO. Data from a 1971 household survey of the same area suggest that selectivity is not an important confounding factor in the analysis.


A social systems model of hospital utilization. A social systems model for the health services system serving the state of New Mexico is presented. Utilization of short-term general hospitals is viewed as a function of sociodemographic characteristics of the population and of the supply of health manpower and facilities available to that population. The model includes a network specifying the causal relationships hypothesized as existing among a set of social, demographic, and economic variables known to be related to the supply of health manpower and facilities and to their utilization. Inclusion of feedback into the model as well as lagged values of physician supply variables permits examination of the dynamic behavior of the social system over time. A method for deriving the reduced form of the structural model is presented along with the reduced-form equations. These equations provide valuable information for policy decisions regarding the likely consequences of changes in the structure of the population and in the supply of health manpower and facilities. The structural and reduced-form equations have been used to predict the consequences for one New Mexico county of state and federal policies that would affect the organization and delivery of health services.


An approach to an index of hospital performance. Two indexes are described, based on measures of administrative effectiveness and patient care effectiveness. The measures used were selected and ranked by a Delphi panel from a list of 30 measures drawn from the literature. Weights were assigned by the panel to 19 selected measures. The resulting indexes did well in a test on data collected from 32 Texas hospitals.


Transformations of 9 alpha, 10 alpha-epoxy-hexahydrocannabinol acetate.


Isolation and structure of eucosterol and 16beta-hydroxyeucosterol, two novel spirocyclic nortriterpenes, and of a new 24-nor-5alpha-chola-8, 16-diene-23-oic acid from bulbs of several Eucomis species.


The crystal structure of axillarine hydrobromide ethanol solvate: a pyrrolizidine alkaloid.


The stimulation of the cholesterol synthesis in rat liver by hydrocortisone.


Isolation and identification of three urinary metabolites of retinoic acid in the rat.


Preferred spatial arrangement of the aromatic side chains in linear oligopeptides containing tyrosine.


Cinchona alkaloids. Total synthesis of cinchonamine.


Conversion of penicillin to cephalosporin lactones.


The absolute configuration of the glutarimide antibiotics streptimiodone and 9-methylstreptimidone.


13C-NMR. Spectroscopy of naturally occurring substances. XLV. Iboga alkaloids.


Photochemistry of imidazolides. I. The photo-Fries-type rearrangement of N-substituted imidazoles.


Photochemistry of imidazolides II. C2-C3 cleavage of carboxylic acid chains. A convenient new method for the side-chain degradation of bile acids and of lanosterol.


Total synthesis of indole and dihydroindole alkaloids. IX. Studies on the synthesis of bisindole alkaloids in the vinblastine-vincristine series. The biogenetic approach.


Psychological and neurodevelopmental outcome of high risk newborn infants. Among 142 high-risk-newborns, 111 could be regularly followed-up to 3 years of age. 79 (71%) are normal, 6 (5.5%) have minor neurological sequels, 9 (8.1%) have major neurological sequels, associated in 4 cases with mental deficiency, 16 (14.5%) have developmental abnormalities (speech delay, behavioral problems, perceptual-motor and praxis disturbances), and one mental deficiency without neurological sequels. Neonatal cerebral distress proved to be the most dangerous clinical situation with regard to the ultimate neurodevelopmental prognosis (73.6% of neurological sequels or developmental abnormalities). The presence of transient abnormalities of tone in the course of the first year of life was associated with ultimate developmental abnormalities in 33.3% of the cases. Social and cultural status seemed to play a role in the intellectual, linguistic and perceptual-motor performance of this group of infants. In spite of these encouraging results, the need for a systematic long term follow-up of high risk newborns is stressed, since neurological sequels and developmental abnormalities are approximately 4 times more frequent in this group than in a normal infantile population.


Cutaneous pO2-measurements in newborns with respiratory distress syndrome. Correlation between cutaneously measured pO2-values and arterial pO2 in 9 newborns with respiratory distress syndromes was investigated with the Basel skin-electrode [3]. At an electrode temperature of 42 degrees C, correlation was low (r = 0.63), at 43 degrees C the coefficient increased to 0.71 at 44 degrees C the over all statistical correlation improved markedly (r = 0.97). cpO2 for given paO2-values, however, varied widely: reliable discrimination between hypo-, normo- and hyperoxemia was impossible. Continuous registration allows recognition of the consequences of common clinical situations and nursing manipulations on cpO2. The electrode, however, is still susceptible of technical modifications.


Hepatic toxicity of antituberculous drugs in children. Three cases of children who developed hepatic toxicity of different degree while on antituberculous treatment with isoniazid and rifampicin are reported. The clinical picture is presented and the pathogenesis of the hepatic damage is discussed. The pathological findings in the liver are those of a drug induced hepatitis. The combined treatment of tuberculosis in children with isoniazid and rifampicin is potentially dangerous and should be reserved for cases in which resistance to other drugs has been demonstrated.


Lethal neonatal argininosuccinate lyase deficiency in four children from one sibship.


Vascular obstruction of the superior renal calyces in children. The authors describe 5 cases with a pathology peculiar to the superior calyces due to vascular compression, observed from 1969 to 1975 among 938 urographic tests performed in the Pediatric Clinic of Florence. Three of these cases have been checked up to this date. In every patient the urographic tests show clear evidence of a vascular compression at the level of the right upper calyces, associated with stasis and/or ectasis. In two cases there is a symptomatology of abdominal pains; in the remaining 3 patients haematuria is revealed. It is important, particularly in children, to follow the course of the clinical and urographic features, in order to carry out a surgical intervention at the right moment, according to the evolution of the process. The chronic segmental (upper pole) pyelonephritis is the most dangerous evolution.


Systems theory in psychoanalysis.

Systems theory in psychoanalysis.


Transplantation of psychiatrists from foreign cultures.


Primary proximal renal tubular acidosis; A therapeutical approach and long term follow-up. This paper reports a case of proximal renal tubular acidosis followed during 4 years, in a 4-year-old girl. High doses of alkali could not be administered owing to gastric intolerance of the patient; diuretic therapy carries the risk of causing severe dehydration or hypotension. We administered such a dose of NaHCO3 to obtain a normal blood pH--with persistent hyperventilation-, subnormal bicarbonatemia, and acid urine. This treatment could cause an improvement of rickets, growth and laboratory data. At present, the biochemical data, including urinary excretion of bicarbonate with normal bicarbonatemia, are normal; this indicates a spontaneous recovery of the syndrome. We think that low doses of alkali are useful in the transient form of proximal renal tubular acidosis to prevent bone lesions and failure to thrive. But even in the irreversible form of this syndrome--when high alkali doses and diuretics cause dangerous effects--this therapy may be useful to treat some symptoms.


Psychoanalysis and the behavioral therapies.


Role strain in high-commitment career women.


Parenting in the single parent family.

Parenting in the single parent family.


Death trend and adaptation: a psychoanalytic theory of accident.


Anger as a basis for a sense of self.

Anger as a basis for a sense of self.


Neurotic dependency in successful women.


The retreat from a psychiatry of people.


Developing and maintaining the therapeutic alliance with the narcissistic personality.


Dreams stimulated by the analyst-patient relationship.


The effects of fatherless homes upon daughters: clinical impressions regarding paternal deprivation.


The emotional stress of psychotherapeutic practice.


Death as a determinant of psychosomatic syndromes in Africa.


Some notes and an exercise with regard to male homosexuality.


The therapeutic use of writing in the service of the ego.


On the homology of the alisphenoid.

On the homology of the alisphenoid. The relationships of the elements of the cavum epiptericum in a hypothetical primitive mammalian precursor are reconstructed, and these are analysed in relation to the development of recent mammals, especially the fruit bat Nyctinomus johorensis. The alisphenoid in mammals is part cartilage bone, part membrane bone. The mammalian homologue of the primitive reptilian processus ascendens appears to be internal to the maxillary nerve. If so, then the 'lamina ascendens', that portion of the alisphenoid of mammals which lies between maxillary and mandibular nerves, cannot be a true processus ascendens but must be neomorphic. It is suggested that the mammalian lamina ascendens arose from an upgrowth of the root of the quadrate ramus of the epipterygoid in cynodonts, separating foramen rotundum from foramen ovale. In Ditremata the alisphenoid is completed by an element of membrane bone; this, it is suggested here, originated as the anterior lamina of the periotic in cynodonts, which is retained in monotremes. It is suggested that the alicochlear commissure of mammals originated as the later flange of the periotic in cynodonts.


An autoradiographical study of [3H]thymidine incorporation into subcutaneously transplanted mouse molar teeth. Cell proliferation and migration in transplanted teeth. Mice bearing either allografts or isografts of 10 day old molar teeth were injected with [3H]thymidine to identify proliferating and migrating cells within the graft and surrounding tissues. In isografts proliferating cells were found successively in the area underlying the cervix, in the cervical pulp and the coronal pulp. However, cells did not migrate from the cervical host tissue into the pulp, and it was concluded that donor cells are responsible for reparative processes in tooth isografts. Very few labelled cells were identified at any time in tooth allografts, which were not repaired. It is suggested that allografts are not repaired because allogeneic inhibition prevents the residual donor tissue from proliferating and differentiating. Inhibition of proliferation of residual cells may also account for the absence of a cell-mediated immune response to tooth allografts.


The interfrontal bone and mutant genes in the mouse. The relationship between corrected skull width and the presence and size of an interfrontal bone is discussed with regard to the effect of certain mutant genes in the mouse known to affect the development of the neural tube. All genes reviewed which increase the incidence of the interfrontal bone and affect the neural tube also change the proportions of the adult skull.


Retardation of bone growth in triamcinolone-treated mice. Immature mice were treated for up to 8 weeks with daily doses of triamcinolone diacetate. The epiphyseal cartilage plate and its surrounding bone from the humeral head were studied histologically at regular intervals. Concomitantly, roentgenographic measurements were performed on the humeri in toto. By the tenth injection significant morphological changes were noted in the cartilaginous plate, followed by complete cessation of bone growth. Severe triglyceride accumulation appeared in the experimental livers and humeral bone marrow. Osteoporosis also occurred and became severe from the fifth week of triamcinolone administration. Possible explanations for the above findings are discussed.


The functional anatomy of the bronchial circulation of the domestic fowl. The bronchial circulation was studied in 25 adult domestic fowls. The right and left bronchial arteries originated caudal to the syrinx from a bronchoesophageal artery which is a branch of the right common carotid artery. Each bronchial artery ramified on the wall of the extrapulmonary part of the corresponding primary bronchus and finally anastomosed directly with a branch of the pulmonary artery at the hilus of the lung. Thr bronchial artery did not accompany the intrapulmonary part of the primary bronchus. The branches of each bronchial artery formed an anastomosing network on the wall of the extrapulmonary part of the primary bronchus. The calibre of the bronchial artery at its anastomosis with the branch of the pulmonary artery was greater than at its origin from the bronchoesophageal artery. Intravenous injections of Lycopodium spores indicated that the blood flows from the pulmonary artery into the bronchial artery. Small bronchial veins drained the extrapulmonary part of the primary bronchus into the pulmonary vein and the oesophageal veins. The intrapulmonary part of the primary bronchus was supplied by branches of the pulmonary artery and drained by tributaries of the pulmonary vein. The blood supply to the primary bronchus could constitute a shunt capable of passing blood from the pulmonary artery into the pulmonary vein without going through the exchange tissue. The parabronchial (atrial) muscles received a blood supply directly from the exchange tissue via septal venules which formed a network underneath the muscle bundles, without actually penetrating between the muscle cells. These venules drained into atrial veins which were tributaries of the pulmonary vein. The atrial muscles probably also received oxygen by direct diffusion from the parabronchial lumen. The pleura was supplied by the oesophageal branches of the bronchoesophageal artery, and by small twigs from the internal thoracic and intercostal arteries.


Cyto-differentiation and portal vascular development in the mouse adenohypophysis. Pituitaries of fetal and postnatal (15 days p.c.-28 days p.n.) and adult (male) mice were studied by light and electron microscopy to correlate the developmental pattern of the hypothalamo-hypophysial vascular system with the time of onset of function of the adenohypophysis. The superior and anterior regions of the adenohypophysis become vascularized at 17 days p.c., when portal vessels extend from oral primary plexus to the pars distalis for the first time. Adenohypophysial vascularity and the number of portal vessels steadily increase to reach the adult pattern at 5 days p.n. At 1 day p.n. deep capillary loops appear in the caudal regions of the oral primary plexus; a capillary (tangential) plexus underlies the ependymal lining of the third ventricle by 6 days p.n. Superficial capillary loops were not observed until the third postnatal week. Granulation of secretory cells commences at 16 days p.c., predominantly in the upper and anterior adenohypophysis; at 17 days thyrotropes, gonadotropes and corticotropes are recognizable and by morphological criteria appear actively secretory on days 17-18 p.c., although few appear active at 19 days p.c. and 1 day p.n. Somatotropes are first seen at 18 days p.c., predominantly in the central and lateral regions of the pars distalis. Active secretory cells increase in number over the period 2-10 days p.n., but after 11 days p.n. thyrotropes and corticotropes seem to become progressively less active; fewer gonadotropes are seen after 15 days p.n., and these apparently become progressively less active from day 19. Most somatotropes appear active until 28 days p.n. The observations suggest that hypothalamic control of adenohypophysial function may exist in the mouse from 17 days p.c.


Plantar aponeurosis and internal architecture of the ball of the foot. On the basis of its internal structure, the ball of the foot can be divided into three transverse areas, each with a different mechanical function: (1) an area proximal to the heads of the metatarsals in which the retinacula cutis are developed into a series of transverse bands, and in which the deep fibres of the plantar aponeurosis form ten sagittal septa connected to the deep transverse metatarsal ligament and through this the proximal phalanges of the toes, (2) an area below the heads of the metatarsals in which vertical fibres from the joint capsules and the sides of the fibrous flexor sheaths form a cushion below each metatarsal head, and in which fat bodies  cover the digital nerves and vessels in their passage between the cushions, and (3) a distal area which comprises the interdigital web. The superficial fibres of the plantar aponeurosis are inserted into the skin of this distal area, and deep to them the plantar interdigital ligament forms a series of transverse lamellae connected to the proximal phalanges by a mooring ligament which arches from one fibrous flexor sheath to the next. When the metatarsophalangeal joints are extended, the fibres of the three areas are tensed and the skin is anchored firmly to the skeleton. The direction of the fibres in the distal and proximal area promotes the transfer of forces exerted on the skin during push-off and braking respectively, while the intermediate area is adapted to bear the weight of the body. A concentration of Pacinian corpuscles is found along the digital nerves in the weight-bearing area below the transverse metatarsal ligament. The nerves for the second, and especially for the third, interstice are close to or in contact with the sharp proximal edges of the sagittal septa.


The nerve supply and conducting system of the human heart at the end of the embryonic period proper. The nerve supply and conducting system were studied in a stage 23 human embryo of exceptional histological quality. The nerves on the right side arose from cervical sympathetic and from cervical and thoracic vagal filaments. Out of their interconnexions vagoxympathetic nerves emerged, which (1) sent a branch in front of the trachea to the aorticopulmonary ganglion, thereby supplying arterial and venous structures, and (2) formed the right sinal nerve, which supplied the sinu-atrial node, and gave filaments to the interatrial septum which could be traced to the atrioventricular node and pulmonary veins. The nerves on the left side arose similarly from cervical sympathetic and from cervical and thoracic vagal filaments. These formed several descending, ganglionated, vagosympathetic filaments that descended to the right of the arch of the aorta and entered the aorticopulmonary ganglion. Filaments leaving the ganglion supplied the pulmonary trunk, ascending aorta, interatrial septum, pulmonary veins, and, as the left sinal nerve, the fold of the left vena cava. The thoracic vagal filaments descended to the left of the arch of the aorta and supplied chiefly the arterial end of the heart. No thoracic sympathetic cardiac filaments were found. The sinu-atrial node began as a crescentic mass in front of the lower part of the superior vena cava. It gradually extended on each side of the superior vena cava and came to form its posterior wall at a more caudal level. The atrial myocardium that formed the septum spurium, venous valves, and interatrial septum could be traced from the sinu-atrial to the atrioventricular node. Myocardium also encircled the atrial aspects of the atrioventricular orifices, and could be traced caudally to the atrioventricular nde. The atrioventricular node was a conspicuous mass in the anterior and lower part of the interatrial septum, from which a clearly defined bundle left to enter the interventricular septum. Right and left limbs were observed, the former being a rounded bundle that passed immediately in front of the root of the aorta.


Vascular segments in the human spleen.

Vascular segments in the human spleen. Corrosion casts of human splenic arterial trees revealed the presence of two segments-a superior, and an inferior - in 84% of cases and three segments - a superior, a middle and an inferior - in 16% of cases. These segments are separated by avascular planes.


Substrate limitation of bacterial growth at meat surfaces.


Enzymic breakdown of amino acids and related compounds by suspensions of washed mycobacteria.


An adaptable system for timed aseptic sampling and storage of microbial cultures.


Action of chondroitinases. II. Numerical calculation of the degree of multiple attack. Further investigation was carried out on the action patterns of two chondroitinase-AC [EC 4.2.2.5.] preparations obtained from Arthrobacter aurescens and Flavobacterium heparinum. To infer the action patterns of the chondroitinases, we proposed a new method for the calculation of the degree of multiple attack, based on the concept established by Robyt and French ((1967) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 122, 8-16). It was shown that the degree of multiple attack (DM) is represented by the ratio of the initial velocity of number-average degree of scission to that of viscosity-average degree of scission. By this method, DM for A-Chase was estimated to be 3.03 and for F-chase, 1.31.


Preferential acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of the formamide linkage of N'-formylkynurenine in frozen solution. Acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of the formamide linkage of N-acetyl-N'-formyl-L-kynurenineamide in frozen dilute hydrochloric acid solution followed first-order kinetics, yielding N-acetyl-L-kynurenineamide as the sole reaction product. The maximum rate of reaction in the frozen solution was found at around -7.5 degrees and approximated that of the reaction in liquid solution at 40 degrees. By freezing the dilute acid solution at -8 degrees the reaction was accelerated by 60 times compared with that in super-cooled liquid solution at the same temperature.


A study of the native-denatured (N in equilibrium with D) transition in lysozyme. II. Kinetic analysis of protease digestion. Kinetic analyses of the protease digestion of several chemical derivatives of lysozyme [EC 3.2.1.17] showed that only the D(denatured) state of the protein is digested and that the reaction velocity is proportional to the equilibrium constant (KD) of the N in equilibrium with D transition of the protein. Alteration of the net charge of lysozyme by acetylation caused a shift of the N in equilibrium with D transition to the right (ten-fold increase in KD compared to that of native enzyme). Both the formation of a lysozyme-inhibitor complex and the introduction of a covalent bond in the lysozyme molecule restricted the transition. The magnitude of the N in equilibrium with D transition is related to the susceptibility of lysozyme to protease digestion and it is estimated that the N in equilibrium with D transition in proteins is generally important in the intracellular catabolism of proteins.


A method for the deductive and unique determination of the values of three parameters involved in fractional functions applicable to relaxation kinetics. A novel method is proposed to determine deductively and uniquely the values of three parameters, a, b, and c in a fractional function of the form, y=a+bx/(c+x) where x and y are experimentally obtainable variables. This type of equation is frequently encountered in chemistry and biochemistry involving relaxation kinetics. The method of least squares with the Taylor expansion is employed for direct curve fitting of observed data to the fractional function. Approximate values of the parameters, which are always necessary prior to commending the above procedure, can be obtained by the method of rearrangement after canceling the denominator of fractional functions. This procedure is very simple, but very effective for estimating provisional values of the parameters. Deductive and unique determination of the parameters involved in the fractional function shown above can be accomplished for the first time by the combination of these two procedures. This method is extended to include the analysis of relaxation kinetic data such as those of temperature-jump method where the determination of equilibrium concentrations of reactants in addition to the three parameters is also necessary.


Incorporation of [14C]glucose from UDP[14C]glucose into a phosphoglycolipid by cell-free particulate systems of a moderately halophilic gram-negative bacterium, Pseudomonas halosaccharolytica ATCC 29423. A glucosyl group from uridine diphosphate [U-14C]glucose is incorporated into a phosphoglycolipid, probably a glucosylphosphatidylglycerol, by a disrupted membrane enzyme preparation from a gram-negative, moderately halophilic bacterium, Pseudomonas halosaccharolytica ATCC 29423. The conversion of [14C]phosphatidylglycerol into phosphoglycolipid by the particulate preparation was also enhanced in the presence of non-labelled UDP-glucose. A chemical degradation study of labelled phosphoglycolipid showed the bulk of the radioactivity from UDP[U-14C]glucose to be associated with the glucose moiety, which also appeared to be attached to the hydroxyl group of a second glycerol.


Polyamine-dependent deoxyribonuclease activity from rat-liver nuclei. When nuclei isolated from rat liver in a low salt buffer were washed with 0.1 M NaCl solution, the supernatant showed a deoxyribonuclease (DNase) activity. The activity required Mg2+ and in addition spermine or spermidine, and its optimal pH was 7.2-7.4. The activity was higher on denatured (single stranded) DNA than on double-helical DNA. With both substrates the activity was highest at a polyamine concentration at which the DNA-polyamine complex began to precipitate. No Mg2++Ca2+ dependent DNase activity was detected in the preparation.


The effect of inositol hexaphosphate on the absorption spectra of alpha and beta chains in nitrosyl hemoglobin. The spectral changes of nitrosyl hemoglobin on addition of inositol hexaphosphate were studied in hybrid-heme hemoglobins. The results showed that the decrease in absorption in the Soret region was mainly due to a spectral change in alpha chains, and that the tension on heme in the quaternary T structure was much stronger in alpha than in beta chains.


An anomaly in the resonance Raman spectra of cytochrome P-450cam in the ferrous high-spin state. Resonance Raman spectra of cytochrome P-450cam (P-450cam) and its enzymatically inactive form (P-420) in various oxidation and spin states were measured for the first time. The Raman spectrum of reduced P-450cam was unusual in the sense that the "oxidation-state marker" appeared at an unexpectedly lower frequency (1346 cm-1) in comparison with those of other reduced hemoproteins (approximately 1355-approximately 1365 cm-1), whereas that of oxidized P-450cam was located at a normal frequency. This anomaly in the Raman spectrum of reduced P-450cam can be explained by assuming electron delocalization from the fifth ligand, presumably a thiolate anion, to the antibonding pi orbital of the porphyrin ring. The corresponding Raman line of reduced P-420 appeared at a normal frequency (1360 cm-1), suggesting a status change or replacement of the fifth ligand upon conversion from P-450cam to P-420. The Raman spectrum of reduced P-450cam-metyrapone complex was very similar to that of ferrous cytochrome b5.


Amino acid composition of peptidoglycan in Caulobacter crescentus. Peptidoglycan of a gram-negative stalked bacterium, Caulobacter crescentus CB13, contained alanine, diaminopimelic acid, and glutamic acid, in molar ratios of 2 : 1 : 1. The amino acid compositions of peptidoglycans isolated from cultures enriched in swarmer and stalked cells, and from a stalk-less mutant were similar. This finding conflicts with a previous observation that swarmer peptidoglycan does not contain diaminopimelic acid (Goodwin and Shedlarski (1975) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 170, 23-36). It appears that, despite the morphological differences, the Caulobacter cells all contain a similar peptidoglycan in the cell wall.


The site-specific deoxyribonuclease from Bacillus pumilus (endonuclease R.Bpu1387). A new site-specific endonuclease (DNase) was isolated from the cells of Bacillus pumilus AHU 1387 strain. This enzyme (endonuclease R.Bpu 1387) introduced double-stranded scissions at unique sites on DNA's of coli phage lambda, lambdadvl, coli phage T7, Bacillus phage phi105C, Bacillus phage SP10, and Simian Virus 40, in the presence of magnesium ion. The activity was stimulated by the presence of NaCl.


The choice of treatment in Pott's disease.


The operating microscope isn't everything--a warning and a prediction.


A five-year assessment of controlled trials of in-patient and out-patient treatment and of plaster-of-Paris jackets for tuberculosis of the spine in children on standard chemotherapy. Studies in Masan and Pusan, Korea. Fifth report of the Medical Research Council Working Party on tuberculosis of the spine. In two centres in Korea 350 patients with a diagnosis of tuberculosis of the thoracic and/or lumbar spine were allocated at random: in Masan to in-patient rest in bed (IP) for six months followed by out-patient treatment or to ambulatory out-patient treatment (OP) from the start; in Pusan to out-patient treatment with a plaster-of-Paris jacket (J) for nine months or to ambulatory treatment without any support (No J). All patients recieved chemotherapy with PAS with isoniazid for eighteen months, either supplemented with streptomycin for the first three months (SPH) or without this supplement (PH), by random allocation. The main analysis of this report concerns 299 patients (eighty-three IP, eighty-three OP, sixty-three J, seventy No J; 143 SPH, 156 PH). Pre-treatment factors were similar in both centres except that the patients in Pusan had, on average, less extensive lesions although in a greater proportion the disease was radiographically active. One patient (J/SPH) died with active spinal disease and three (all No J/SPH) with paraplegia. A fifth patient (IP/PH) who died from cardio respiratory failure also had pulmonary tuberculosis. Twenty-three patients required operation and/or additional chemotherapy for the spinal lesion. A sinus or clinically evident abscess was either present initially or developed during treatment in 41 per cent of patients. Residual lesions persisted in ten patients (four IP, two OP, one J, three No J; six SPH, four PH) at five years. Thirty-two patients had paraparesis on admission or developing later. Complete resolution occurred in twenty on the allocated regimen and in eight after operation or additional chemotherapy or both. Of the remaining four atients, all of whom had operation and additional chemotherapy, three died and one still had paraparesis at five years. Of 295 patients assessed at five years 89 per cent had a favourable status. The proportions of the patients responding favourably were similar in the IP (91 per cent) and OP (89 per cent) series, in the J (90 per cent) and No J (84 per cent) series and in the SPH (86 per cent) and PH (92 per cent) series.


Mechanical function as an influence on the structure and form of bone. Rosette strain gauges were attached to the cranial and caudal aspects of the proximal half of the radius in eight skeletally mature female sheep; The sheep's radius has a slight cranially convex curvature. During walking it was deformed so that the cranial surface was subjected to tension aligned along the bone's lon axis, and the caudal surface to compression similarly aligned. The compressive strain on the caudal aspect of the bone was consistently larger (X 1-9) than the tensile strain on the cranial aspect. The thickness of the cortex did not reflect this difference but in younger animals the process of osteonal remodelling seemed further advanced in the cortex which was customarily subject to the larger deformation. The relevance of these findings is discussed in relation to the technique of internal fixation and to our understanding of the basis of the mechanical adaptability of bone.


Quantitative histology of the human growth plate. This paper describes a study in the human femur of the relationship between cell division in growth cartilage and overall bone growth. Growth rates for the distal femur from birth to eighteen years were determined from serial radiographs available from the Harpenden Growth Study; An average of 1-4 cm/year was found for the ages of five to eight years. The development of the growth plate is illustrated in a series of photomicrographs of femur sections. These sections were also used for quantitative histology; The length of the proliferation zone was estimated from cell counts to be twenty-four cells per column. On the basis of this value and the measured growth rate, an approximate mean cycle time of twenty days was found for the proliferating cells of the human growth plate. Since the corresponding cycle time is two days for rodent growth plates, which also have a different structure, it is unwise to extrapolate the findings in this tissue from mouse to man.


The aetiology of congenital angulation of tubular bones with constriction of the medullary canal, and its relationship to congenital pseudarthrosis. It is suggested that there is a group of cases of congenital angulation of tubular bones in which the lesion is a defect of ossification of the primary cartilaginous anlage and in which neurofibromatosis is not implicated. It appears that in this group the prognosis with regard to the resolution of deformity and the prevention of pseudarthrosis with conservative treatment or relatively simple surgical procedures is better than that in the neurofibromatous type.


Spondylolytic fractures.

Spondylolytic fractures. A method is described whereby fractures of the neural arch similar to those in spondylolysis are produced experimentally. The forces, bending moments and displacements required to initiate the fractures are given; The mechanical aspects in the aetiology of spondylolysis are explained by a simplified two-dimensional force analysis.


The pathogenesis of Perthes' disease.

The pathogenesis of Perthes' disease. It has been shown that in the puppy, two infarcts separated by an interval of four weeks produce a disorder of long duration which results in flattening and broadening of the femoral head and which reproduces the radiological changes seen in Perthes' disease in man. The histological appearances produced by two infarcts are characteristic. In this study the histological appearance of fifty-seven femoral head biopsy specimens in Perthes' disease in man have been studied. In 51 per cent of hips histopathological changes characteristic of double infarction were present, and there were grounds for postulating that double infarction might eventually occur in all cases. The findings support the concept that the deformation of the femoral head and the chronicity of Perthes' disease in man may be due at least as much or even more to repeated episodes of infarction and the ensuing abnormalities of growth as to mechanical factors related to weight-bearing.


Successful replantation of a hand amputated through the metacarpus. A successful replantation is reported of a hand completely severed by a circular saw through all five metacarpals. The sequence of primary reconstruction of all important structures beginning three hours after the injury and the functional results eighteen months later are presented.


Fracture-dislocations of the sacrum. Report of three cases. The pattern of fracture-dislocation of the upper part of the sacrum is demonstrated in three patients. The fracture line followed the segmental form of the sacrum and was usually caused by a posterior force against the pelvis which had been locked by hip flexion and knee extension. Fractures of the lumbar transverse processes also occurred, presumably from avulsion by the quadratus lumborum muscle. The damage to the sacral plexus found in all three cases recovered after several months. Radiographs of the injury are difficult to obtain in severely injured patients but oblique views of the sacrum help to determine the extent of the forward dislocation.


The clinical manifestations and pathomechanics of contracture of the extensor mechanism of the knee. Experience with thirty-eight Asian children and adolescents who presented with either stiffness of the knee, genu recurvatum, habitual dislocation of the patella or congenital lateral dislocation of the patella showed that all those disorders were manifestations of contracture of the extensor mechanism, which fell into two groups according to the components involved. In Group I the main components affected were in the midline of the limb, namely rectus femoris and vastus intermedius; these patients presented with varying degrees of stiffness of the knee, or worse, with genu recurvatum. In Group II the main components involved were lateral to the midline of the limb, namely vastus lateralis and the ilio-tibial band; these patients presented with habitual dislocation of the patella, or worse, congenital lateral dislocation of the patella. In both groups untreated patients developed secondary adaptive changes such as subluxation of the tibia or marked genu valgum which made operative procedures more formidable and less effective. Release of the contracture should therefore be performed as early as possible.


Excision of the head of the radius in rheumatoid arthritis. The results of excision of the head of the radius in forty-four elbows affected by rheumatoid arthritis are presented. Relief of pain was obtained in 90 per cent and an increase in the range of flexion and extension was seen in 70 per cent. Involvement of the humero-ulnar joint seen radiologically is no contra-indication to the operation; simple excision of the radial head often gives gratifying results; In our experience the relief of pain and increased range of movement have greatly reduced the need for total replacement arthroplasty.


Radial club hand with absence of the biceps muscle treated by centralisation of the ulna and triceps transfer. Report of two cases. Two children with radial club hand and absence of the biceps muscle were treated by centralisation of the ulna into the carpus and triceps transfer. The two operations were performed only a short time apart so that the period between the procedures could be used to stretch the triceps and to enable the children to adapt to an altered position of the wrist and to mobility of the elbow at one step and following a single period of plaster immobilisation. It is very likely that function is better than it would have been had the condition remained untreated. Before operation the children had only a crude hook function of the hand against the forearm and could not bring the hand to the mouth. Even if function is not much improved, the improvement in appearance is considerable and is by itself sufficient to justify the procedures.


An operation for chronic prepatellar bursitis. An operation for chronic prepatellar bursitis is described in which only the posterior wall of the bursa is excised, thus preserving, undamaged, healthy and normally sensitive skin. This procedure is easier and less traumatic than complete excision of the bursa and results in fewer complications. It is suggested that removal of tha anterior wall of the bursa results in unnecessary and harmful interference with the underlying skin. The operation described gives a good functional and structural result; leaving the anterior wall of the bursa does not predispose to recurrence.


Whence the arthrogrypotics?

Whence the arthrogrypotics? During the course of a nation-wide survey of patients with bone and joint deformities, twenty-six individuals with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, in the narrow and precise sense of the term, were investigated. No patient was more than twenty-four years of age. However, on a basis of the figures of population, it can be estimated that 21-0 +/- 6-5 older affected individuals should have been encountered. Furthermore, there was a relative excess of younger children. The series was reasonably unbiased, and as arthrogryposis is non-lethal the deficiency of affected adults is an anomalous finding. It is tentatively suggested that arthrogryposis might result from the intra-uterine influence of an unknown environmental agent which has been present in South Africa for only a limited period of time. Detection of this factor could be an important step in the prevention of the disease.


The locked patella. An unusual complication of haemophilia. Mechanical derangements of the knee are an uncommon complication of chronic haemophiliac arthropathy. Two patients with locking of the patella were treated by manipulation. The mechanism of the injury was forced flexion of the knee joint beyond the limit of its restricted range. The injury is a serious one and may take six months to recover.


Pollen ultrastructure in anther cultures of Datura innoxia. I. Division of the presumptive vegetative cell. Ultrastructural features of embryogenic pollen in Datura innoxia are described, just prior to, during, and after completion of the first division of the presumptive vegetative cell. In anther cultures initiated towards the end of the microspore phase and incubated at 28 degrees C in darkness, the spores divide within 24 h and show features consistent with those of dividing spores in vivo. Cytokinesis is also normal in most of the spores and the gametophytic cell-plate curves round the presumptive generative nucleus in the usual highly ordered way. Further differentiation of the 2 gametophytic cells does not take place and the pollen either switches to embryogenesis or degenerates. After 48-72 h, the remaining viable pollen shows the vegetative cell in division. The cell, which has a large vacuole and thin layer of parietal cytoplasm carried over from the microspore, divides consistently in a plane parallel to the microspore division. The dividing wall follows a less-ordered course than the gametophytic wall and usually traverses the vacuole, small portions of which are incorporated into the daughter cell adjacent to the generative cell. The only structural changes in the vegetative cell associated with the change in programme appear to be an increase in electron density of both plastids and mitochondria and deposition of an electron-dense material (possibly lipid) on the tonoplast. The generative cell is attached to the intine when the vegetative cell divides. Ribosomal density increases in the generative cell and exceeds that in the vegetative cell. A thin electron-dense layer also appears in the generative-cell wall. It is concluded that embryogenesis commences as soon as the 2 gametophytic cells are laid down. Gene activity associated with postmitotic synthesis of RNA and protein in the vegetative cell is switched off. The data are discussed in relation to the first division of the embryogenic vegetative cells in Nicotiana tabacum.


Pollen ultrastructure in anther cultures of Datura innoxia. II. The generative-cell wall. In young pollen grains of Datura innoxia, a wall of the usual hemispherical type separates the 2 gametophytic cells initially and, in the electron microscope, appears as an electron-translucent matrix which is contiguous with the intine. Before detachment of the generative cell from the intine, the matrix decreases in thickness and in places is dispersed altogether leaving the plasmalemmae on either side of it in close apposition. A particularly prominent zone, triangular in profile, is left where the wall joins with the intine. After detachment of the cell, remnants of the matrix can be seen distributed irregularly around the cell and it is supposed that these are partly derived from material in the triangular zone as the cell is drawn away from the intine. The wall residues persist throughout the maturation phase of the pollen and are considered to be either callose resulting from incomplete digestion of the initial wall, or some other polysaccharide material which is unevenly laid down along the wall and concentrated at the junction with the intine. In pollen induced into embryogenesis by anther culture, wall material is also distributed irregularly around the detached cell in a series of discrete zones, but these are more extensive than in vivo, closer together and in many instances highly dilated. The wall profiles thus have a beaded appearance, the 'beads' being connected together by short links of the 2 apposed plasmalemmae. The contents of the swollen zones have a similar electron density to that of the matrix in vivo but also show traces of a fibrillar component. It is postulated that this unusual swelling is a prelude to dispersal of the wall by disruption of the plasmalemmal links and to the establishment of cytoplasmic continuity between the 2 cells. The significance of such binucleate pollen grains in the formation of non-haploid embryos is discussed.


Pollen ultrastructure in anther cultures of Datura innoxia. III. Incomplete microspore division. During the microspore division in Datura innoxia, the mitotic spindle is oriented in planes both perpendicular (PE) and oblique (OB) to the spore wall against which the nucleus is situated. However, irrespective of polarity, the usual type of hemispherical wall is laid down at cytokinesis and isolates the generative cell from the rest of the pollen grain (type A). In PE spores the vegetative nucleus initially occupies a central position in the pollen grain, whereas in OB spores the vegetative nucleus lies at the periphery of the grain close to the generative cell. In anther cultures initiated just before the microspore division is due to take place, no marked change can be observed in either orientation or symmetry of the mitotic spindle when the spores divide. In some, however, cytokinesis is disrupted and deposition of the hemispherical wall arrested. In the absence of a complete wall, differentiation of the generative cell cannot take place and binucleate pollen grains are formed having 2 vegetative-type nuclei (type B). The 2 nuclei in the B pollens are always situated against the pollen-grain wall, suggesting that the disruption phenomenon is related to the OB spores. The incomplete wall always makes contact with the intine on the intine-side of the spindle. Wall material may be represented merely as short stubs projecting out from the intine into the cytoplasm, in which event the 2 nuclei lie close to each other and are separated by only a narrow zone of cytoplasm. In other grains the wall is partially developed between the nuclei and terminates at varying distances from the tonoplast; in these, the nuclei are separated by a wider zone of cytoplasm. The significance of these binucleate grains in pollen embryogenesis is discussed.


Timing of nucleolar DNA replication in Amoeba proteus. Light- and electron-microscope autoradiography have been used to follow the incorporation of [3H]thymidine at different stages during the interphase of synchronously growing populations of Amoeba proteus. Two main patterns were found for tritiated thymidine incorporation, i.e. DNA synthesis. The major incorporation was in the central region of the nucleus, but a lesser degree of incorporation occurred in the nucleolar region. The bulk of this nucleolar DNA was found to be late replicating, i.e. it replicated during the G2 phase.


Circus movements and blebbing locomotion in dissociated embryonic cells of an amphibian, Xenopus laevis. Circus movements, which involve the circumferential rotation of a hyaline cytoplasmic protrusion, occur in cells obtained by EDTA dissociation of gastrula-stage Xenopus laevis embryos. Only a few dissociated blastula-stage cells show circus movements, more early gastrula-stage cells show them, and nearly all late gastrula-stage cells show them. Circus movements cease in cells prior to mitosis and begin again in daughter cells after mitosis is completed. In early gastrulae, only 17% of prospective endodermal cells show circus movements while 79% of prospective mesodern, archenteric roof, and posterior neural ectoderm do so. Isolated cells as well as groups of cells in vitro are often propelled by circus movements. There is an obvious antagonism between cell contact and circus movements. The morphogenetic significance of circus movements and blebbing locomotion is discussed.


A decay of gap junctions in association with cell differentiation of neural retina in chick embryonic development. Ultrastructural studies of thin-sectioned and freeze-cleaved materials were performed on developing retinal tissues of 3- to 9-day-old chick embryos to clarify the junctional structures between neural retinal cells and between neural retinal cells and cells of the pigmented epithelium. Frequency, size and position of gap junctions in developing neural retina are different at each stage of development. In 3-day-old embryos, some cells adhere to each other by gap junctions immediately below the outer limiting membrane of neural retinae. The size and number of gap junctions increase remarkably during 5-6 days of incubation. In this period of development, well developed gap junctions consisting of subcompartments of intramembrane particles are found between cell surfaces at both the outer limiting membrane region and the deeper portion of the neural retina. Gap junctions disappear thereafter, and at 7-5 days of incubation, small gap junctions are predominant between cell surfaces at the outer limiting membrane region, while the frequency of gap junctions in the deeper portion is very low. At 9 days of incubation, gap junctions are rarely found. Typical gap junctions are always found between neural retinal cells and those of the pigmented epithelium in embryos up to 7-5 days of incubation. Tight junctions are not found in the neural retina or between neural retina and pigmented epithelium throughout the stages examined.


Gap junctions in the differentiated neural retinae of newly hatched chickens. Gap junctions in the neural retinae of newly hatched chickens were examined in thin section and by freeze cleaving. Unusual gap junctions containing linear arrays of intramembrane particles are found between principal and accessory cones which form a double cone at the region of the outer limiting membrane. These unusual gap junctions are often continuous with macular aggregates of hexagonally packed intramembrane particles which are characteristic of a typical gap junction. Typical gap junctions are also found in both the outer and the inner plexiform layers and in the outer nuclear layer, but are not so abundant as in the outer limiting membrane region. The sizes of intramembrane particles and their centre-to-centre spacing within the macular aggregate of a gap junction in differentiated neural retinae are slightly larger than those in undifferentiated neural retinae. Tight junctions are not found in differentiated neural retinae.


Mechanism of myofibril growth and proliferation in fish muscle. The mechanisms of myofibril growth proliferation were investigated in the red and white muscles of fish. In both types of muscle the ratio of lattice filament spacings between the Z disk and M line was found to be greater than that required for perfect transformation of a square into a hexagonal lattice. This mismatch was considered to result in the thin filaments being pulled obliquely instead of at right angles to the Z disk. The angle of pull of the thin filaments was measured in longitudinal sections. The splitting process was found to decrease the degree of pull. Splitting was also observed in transverse sections of the peripheral myofibrils. In both red and white fibres these myofibrils were found to commence splitting when they reached a size of approximately 1-2 mum diameter. Evidence from ultrastructural and autoradiographical studies suggested that growth of the myofibrils within the fibres is centrifugal. The outermost myofibrils appear to be the ones which are being built up and which split. The data indicated that in fish muscle a considerable number of filaments may be added to the daughter regions whilst splitting of the myofibril is still continuing.