Growth hormone and cortisol responses, tranquillizer usage, and their association with survival from myocardial infarction. Sixty-six patients consecutively admitted to a Coronary Care Unit with a diagnosis of myocardial infarction were evaluated physically, psychologically, and neuroendocrinologically. Records were also kept of appetite and drug intake. Serum cortisol and growth hormone, physical, and mood variables were evaluated daily and the neuroendocrine measures were also taken serially at the time of removal from the cardiac monitor. At the end of the 2 years the patient's functional status was evaluated and the outcome correlated with the aforementioned indices. Three factors emerged as being significantly related to outcome. Survivors' appetites were significantly better than the appetities of nonsurvivors. Those who were alive at follow-up had taken significantly more minor tranquilizers than those who had died. Survivors had consistently lower levels of growth hormone than nonsurvivors and these differences were statistically significant for those samples taken at the time of removal from the monitor. The findings are incorporated in two new indices predictive of both survival and functional outcome.


Streptococcus mutans, an assessment of its physiological potential in relation to dental caries. Streptococcus mutans converts low levels of sucrose to lactic acid, but at high levels favours synthesis of glucans for plaque accumulation. Thus, the continued exposure to sucrose fluxes would select microorganisms in the oral cavity (S. mutans being a prototype) with highly specialized adaptation and potential dental caries activity. The bacteria that have evolved physiological systems to function efficiently under these conditions are the lactic acid bacteria. These organisms survive in environments where carbohydrate availability is constantly changing. High tolerances to acidic environments may be an important determinant in establishing the ecology of the carious lesion. Also, the intercellular polysaccharide storgae (glycogenamylopectin) and extracellular polymer reserves (levan and soluble glucan) are important during carbohydrate depletion. Further, the formation of insoluble glucans is a prerequisite for the caries process on smooth surfaces of teeth through plaque development. These conditions could result in an increase in S. mutans and cariogenic microorganisms. As a result, this process may be best understood as a manifestation of an amphibiotic shift.


IV. Covalent coupling of rat liver phenylalanine hydroxylase. Rat liver phenylalanine hydroxylase (PheH) was covalently coupled to AH-Sepharose 4B, CH-Sepharose 4B, alginic acid and polygalacturonic acid. The activities of the bound enzyme from the ethanol and ammonium sulfate fractions were studied under a variety of conditions. The ethanol enzyme coupled to AH-Sepharose 4B showed the best thermal stability from 20 degrees to 50 degrees after heating for 15 min. It retained more than 15% of its initial activity after storage at 25 degrees for 9 days. The covalently linked enzymes generally had a broader range of optimal activity from pH 5.8 to 7.5. The presence of a positive or negative microenvironment on the matrix had no effect on the activity of the enzyme coupled to AH- or CH-Sepharose 4B. The failure to obtain hydroxylase activity with enzyme linked to alginic acid or polygalacturonic acid was attributed to the acidic microenvironment of the matrices.


Effect of benzodiazepine derivatives on purified blood cholinesterases in vitro. The in vitro effect of several benzodiazepine derivatives on purified blood cholinesterases were determined. The results were generally in close agreement with previous results obtained on freshly drawn human blood.


Response of intrapulmonary chemoreceptors in the duck to changes in PCO2 and pH. We have estimated the relative importance of changes in blood PCO2 and pH in determining activity of intrapulmonary chemoreceptors (IPC) in the unidirectionally ventilated duck. The response of single unit vagal afferents from IPC to changing lung gas PCO2 was tested before and after changing blood pH by intravenous infusion of NaHCO3. Using multiple linear regression analysis, we calculated how much of the change in IPC activity for a given change in PCO2 was due to the changing PCO2 at constant pH (CO2 sensitivity) or to the change in pH concomitant with the change in PCO2 (H+ sensitivity). For 10 IPC, the CO2 sensitivity was on the average 2.3 times larger than the H+ sensitivity. Changes in pH as well as PCO2 of lung blood should be considered in assessing the role of IPC in control of breathing.


The bioavailability of benorylate in hot beverages. It has been recommended that benorylate may be administered with hot beverages to overcome the problem of its relative unpalatability. Urine salicylate recovery used as a measure of bioavailability in 20 normal subjects has shown that hot coffee has no significant effect on drug availability from the orally administered suspension.


A comparison of benorylate and naproxen in degenerative arthritis. A single-blind two-week comparison of benorylate and naproxen tablets was carried out in 85 patients with painful osteoarthritis. The degree of discomfort, pain at rest and on movement, joint stiffness and difficulty using affected joints all improved during the study with no significant difference between the treatments. Both patients' and observers' assessment of overall improvement favoured benorylate although the difference was not statistically significant. The majority had disease of weight-bearing joints for which Benoral was significantly more effective. Both drugs were well tolerated.


The peripheral platelet count in response to adrenergic alpha-and beta-1-receptor stimulation. The aim of the present work was to investigate the effect of adrenergic alpha- and beta-1-receptor stimulation on the peripheral platelet count. The experiments were carried out on 8 healthy male volunteers using radioisotopically labelled platelets. 3 subjects received i.v. infusions of adrenaline (0.09 microgram X kg-1 X min-1) before and after the ingestion of 40 mg propranolol. In response to the first infusion there was an instant increase in the venous platelet-bound radioactivity (PBR) which amounted to 12% over basal value. This effect of adrenaline seemed to be potentiated by propranolol pretreatment. 5 subjects received i.v. infusions of the highly selective beta-1-receptor agonist H 133/22 (prenalterol, Hässle, Sweden). In response to a cumulative dose of 4.75 mg prenalterol a slight but significant (P less than 0.05) decrease in PBR occurred. It is concluded that alpha-receptor stimulation causes a depletion of platelets from the exchangeable splenic platelet pool resulting in a concomitant increase in the peripheral platelet count. Beta-receptor stimulation has an opposite effect on the spleen. The trapping of platelets by the spleen is mediated both via beta-1- and beta-2-receptors, but the effect of beta-2-receptor stimulation seems to predominate.


Electrocardiographic findings in patients with connective tissue disease. ECG changes in 49 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, 18 with ankylosing spondylitis, 47 with systemic lupus erythematosus, 17 with dermatomyositis, 21 with scleroderma and 7 with polyarteritis nodosa were compared with ECG changes in 106 control subjects. The classification of ECG findings was based mainly on the Minnesota Code. Compared with control subjects, pathological Q--QS, ST segment and T wave patterns were more common in all patient groups--including dermatomyositis, in which cardiac involvement has rarely been reported. P terminal force (PTF) was higher in the patient group. Conduction defects were probably more common in connective tissue diseases, whereas differences in ectopic beats, arrhythmias, QRS duration and QRS axis and R wave amplitude were not significant. The only significant difference between the steroid-treated patients and those without such treatment was the higher frequency of ST changes in the steroid-treated group. The results imply that heart affection is common in all connective tissue diseases. The several mechanisms underlying the cardiac involvement are reflected in many ways in the electrocardiograms of these patients, including an increased frequency of ECG changes mimicking those met in coronary heart disease.


Twice daily dosage of bacampicillin in chronic bronchitis. A double-blind study. Three groups of patients (total 48) with acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis were treated orally for 10 days, in a double-blind clinical trial, with bacampicillin (an ampicillin ester) 1600 mg twice daily, 800 mg three times daily and oral ampicillin 1000 mg three times daily. Most exacerbations were caused by Haemophilus influenzae or Streptococcus pneumoniae. Clinical and bacteriological results were significantly more favourable in the two bacampicillin-treated groups. Both drugs were generally well tolerated. Serum and sputum ampicillin assays after the first dose showed higher and earlier peak levels after bacampicillin. Only after bacampicillin did the sputum levels regularly exceed the ampicillin M.I.C. for the Haemophilus influenzae strains. After the 1600 mg and 800 mg dose these levels averaged 0.85 and 0.41 mg/l respectively. One third of the Haemophilus influenzae strains studied required more than 0.25 mg/l ampicillin for inhibition of growth. Bacampicillin 1600 mg twice daily appears to be an effective and safe treatment for most episodes of acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis.


Intraventricular carbachol mimics the effects of light on the circadian rhythm in the rat pineal gland. Environmental lighting regulates numerous circadian rhythms, including the cycle in pineal serotonin N-acetyltransferase activity. Brief exposure of rats to light can shift the phase of this enzyme's circadian rhythm. Light also rapidly reduces nocturnal enzyme activity. Intraventricular injections of carbachol, a cholinergic agonist, can mimic both of these effects. Light and carbachol presumably act on the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus. These experiments demonstrate the feasibility of using a neuropharmacologic approach to the mechanisms underlying mammalian circadian rhythms.


Methylazoxymethanol treatment of fetal rats results in abnormally dense noradrenergic innervation of neocortex. A single injection of methylazoxymethanol in pregnant rats at 15 days of gestation results in severe cortical atrophy in the offspring. In the adult offspring, the neurochemical markers for the cortical gamma-aminobutyric acid-containing neurons are severely reduced, whereas the noradrenergic markers are minimally altered. Immunohistofluorescence microscopy demonstrates a marked increase in the density of noradrenergic axons which have an abnormal pattern of distribution in the atrophic cortex. The results suggest that the central noradrenergic neurons determine the number of axons to be formed early in brain development, but local factors in the terminal field regulate the ultimate distribution of the noradrenergic axons.


Fertilization: a uterine glycosaminoglycan stimulates the conversion of sperm proacrosin to acrosin. Acrosin is a proteinase required for mammalian fertilization, and in freshly ejaculated spermatozoa exists as an inactive zymogen, proacrosin. A factor prsent in uterine flushings of gilts stimulates the conversion of highly pruified boar proacrosin to acrosin. Characterization of this factor indicates that its active component is a glycosaminoglycan.


[Interest of tiaprid in chronic ethylism and psychic disorders (author's transl)]. Tiapride was applied to 25 mostly alcoholic patients affected by tremor, agitation and psychic disorders, with favourable results in more than half cases. By oral or parenteral way, efficacy is the same and the minimal active dose may be fixed at 300-400 mg/24 h. The treatment is well tolerated.


[The practitioner faced with anxiety and somatic symptoms (author's transl)]. In order to determine the psychopharmacological profile of tiapride, the authors carried out 3 studies. The first study of ten resistant psychiatric cases permitted us to detect the direction of later studies. The object of the second was to analyse the neurovisceral properties and the action of tiapride on somatic symptoms due to anxiety in 25 ambulatory patients. The last study was a therapeutic approach. Tiapride appears to be one of the best drugs for anxiety in one of the 3 following circumstances: a paroxysmal or chronic somatic expression, depression, or behaviour suggesting latent and masked psychosis or early psychosis. Tiapride is tolerated in the same way as a neuroleptic for even in low dosage (150-300 mg/day) may appear undesirable side effects of extrapyramidal type. On the other hand, and contrary to sulpiride, neuro-endocrine effects are exceptional.


[Abnormal involuntary movements in the elderly and their treatment (author's transl)]. In the elderly, there are two main types of abnormal involuntary movements: tremors on one hand and dyskinesias on the other. Among tremors, senile and parkinsonian types have to be separated because they have different semeiologic signs and distinct therapeutics. Senile tremor is present during movements and tonically maintained attitude. It affects upper extremities (often asymmetrically) and the head; it is reduced by alcohol. When possible (in the absence of contrindications) its best treatment is by beta-blockers. Parkinsonian tremor is typically present at rest and is reduced by a voluntary movement.  L-dopa is active but in the elderly the dosis has to be reduced. Dyskinesias are repetitive but not rythmic involuntary movements which are made at the speed of a normal movement. There are at least two types of dyskinesias: spontaneous and post neuroleptics (i.e. tradive). Spontaneous dyskinesias essentially involve the axial muscles and are chiefly bucco-linguo-facial. They are well controlled by various neuroleptics. If eventual side effects are taken into account, tiapride appears to represent the good choice. Tardive dyskinesias do not disappear when responsible neuroleptics are stopped and are usually permanent. Paradoxically, when necessary, their treatment consists in resuming a neuroleptic prescription.


Penicillin-insensitive pneumococci: isolation from patients with pneumonia. Pneumococci relatively insensitive to penicillin G were isolated from the sputum of two patients with pneumonia. One of the organisms was also relatively insensitive to ampicillin, cefamandole, and cephalothin and was resistant to tetracycline. Because penicillin-insensitive pneumococci are being reported with greater frequency, continued surveillance of pneumococcal sensitivity to penicillin is appropriate.


Measurement of fetal scalp pH by continuous-recording scalp electrode and correlation with capillary blood pH. Experience with the use of a continuous-recording scalp electrode for fetal pH in subcutaneous scalp tissue is described. After initial problems, the correlation with capillary blood pH, taken by fetal scalp blood sampling, was found to be good, and it is concluded that this method is accurate enough to merit further trials in clinical practice. Residual technical problems remain which should not prove insurmountable.


Metabolic changes in burned patients.

Metabolic changes in burned patients. The systemic metabolic and circulatory alterations following thermal injury are directed to support the healing wound. The open wound is an immediate priority of the body; structural and functional components of uninjured tissue undergo breakdown to provide energy, substrate, and micronutrients for the healing wound. Glucose is synthesized by the liver and utilized by granulation tissue. Wound blood flow is elevated and the injured surface is heated to enhance repair. These changes in systemic metabolism and directed by alterations in neurohumoral control; the exact mechanisms ultilized by the wound to initiate these changes are presently not known.


Difference in the effect of bucolome on the hepatic transport maximum of sulfobromophthalein and indocyanine green. The effects of bucolome (BC, 1-cyclohexyl-5-n-butyl-2,4,6-trioxoperhydropyrimidine, a non-steroid antiinflammatory agent), a potent choleretic, on the maximal biliary excretion rates (Tm) of sulfobromophthalein (BSP) and indocyanine green (ICG) were investigated in rats. With continuous infusion of BSP or ICG, Tm and bile flow rate in control rats and rats given BC (40--100 min after 20 mg/100 g body weight i.p. injection) were compared. The BSP Tm was not significantly different in control and BC administered rats (BC rats), while the bile flow rate and endogenous bile salts excretion rate were significantly higher in BC rats. On the other hand, ICG Tm was significantly higher in BC rats, although ICG concentration in bile was significantly lower in BC rats. The rates of the rise in plasma concentration of the dyes were significantly lower in BC rats. However, the plasma concentration of ICG was significantly higher in BC rats at corresponding time intervals than in control rats throughout the experimental period. The difference in the effect of BC on the transport of these two dyes indicates variability in the regulatory mechanisms for hepatic anion transport.


Effects of adrenergic agonists and antagonists on immediate cutaneous reactions in bronchial asthma. Asthmatic patients who showed an allergic skin reaction to house-dust antigen (HD) were injected intradermally with a mixture of HD and a various dose of isoproterenol (Isopr) or propranolol (Propr). In some cases Isopr clearly suppressed the formation of the wheal, but in some others Isopr did not much affect the allergic skin reaction. Also Propr increased markedly the skin reaction of some patients, or had little effect on it. The sensitivity of the skin of asthmatic patients to these drugs was closely correlated with the general response of the patients to adrenaline, such as changes in heart rate, diastolic blood pressure, blood glucose level, and blood triglyceride level.


Ontogeny of suppressor cells. II. Suppression of graft-versus-host and mixed leukocyte culture responses by embryonic cells. Ontogenic development of suppressor cells was studied in mouse embryos. It was found that liver cells of embryos at various stages of gestation were capable of interfering with the mixed leukocyte culture (MLC) reaction. The MLC reaction was also inhibited by embryonic spleen and thymus cells. However, the latter were inhibitory only when originating in 16- and 17-day-old embryos. Embryonic liver cells were also found to interfere with the graft-versus-host (GVH) response induced in neonatal (BALB/c x C57BL)F1 or (C3H X C57BL)F1 mice by adult parental-type C57BL spleen cells. The effect was expressed in the mortality rates but was less pronounced in the splenomegaly reaction measured in vivo or in an in vitro test system. Suppression of the GVH mortality response was manifested predominantly when the liver cells were syngeneic with the effector cells. In contrast, the MLC reaction was inhibited by liver cells syngeneic or allogeneic with the effector cells. The possible developmental patterns of these cells are discussed.


Successful transplantation of marrow from an HLA-A, -B, -D mismatched heterozygous sibling donor into an HLA-D-homozygous patient with aplastic anemia. A patient with aplastic anemia who was found to be homozygous for an HLA-D determinant shared by her unrelated parents achieved sustained engraftment and full restoration of hematopoietic and lymphoid function following a transplant from an HLA-A and -B nonidentical, ABO incompatible sibling who was heterozygous for the shared HLA-D specificity. Transplantation was complicated by transient graft-versus-host disease of moderate severity, which resolved completely following treatment with antithymocyte globulin and prednisone. The case indicates that patients found to be HLA-D-homozygous may be successfully transplanted from HLA-D-heterozygous sibling donors despite HLA-A and HLA-B incompatibilities, and thus further demonstrates the importance of the HLA-D region as a marker of donor-host histocompatibility.


Reconstruction of glutamine synthetase using computer averaging. The axial projection of the glutamine synthetase molecule has been reconstructed from electron micrographs of a stained preparation by using a new method of correlation search and averaging. The average over 50 individual molecules appears as a radial pattern with sixfold symmetry. The handedness evident in the average is attributed to nonuniformity of the negative stain.


Pathological aspects of the infertile testis. In this review, the pathological findings from testicular biopsies of men suffering from various types of infertility are presented. The causes of male infertility are divided into three major categories: pretesticular, testicular, and post-testicular causes. The pre-testicular causes of infertility may be defined as extra-gonadal endocrine disorders, such as those originating in the hypothalamus, pituitary, or adrenals, which have an adverse effect on spermatogenesis. The testicular causes of infertility are primary defects of the testes. The post-testicular causes of infertility consist primarily of obstructions of the ducts leading away from the testes. Cases in which the spermatozoa are normal in number but greatly impaired in motility, presumably due to faulty maturation or improper preservation of the spermatozoa during their sojourn in the epididymides, or due to biochemical abnormalities of the seminal plasma, are also included in the postesticular category.


[Case of the necrotic form of periarteritis nodosa manifested by severe complications in the gastrointestinal system]. A case is described with a rare, not typical form of periarteriitis nodosa. The disease is manifested with an acute complication in the gastrointestinal tract, and later a typical clinical picture of periarteriitis nodosa developed--severe affection of the arterial vessels of the whole organism and thrombotic-necrotic lesions of the vessels of the parenchymal organs, gastrointestinal tract and the extremities.


[Glucose-6-phosphate transformation in the tissues of animals which have received high doses of hydroxythiamine or thiamine]. Administration of hydroxythiamin or thiamin into rats at a dose 400 mg/kg body weight caused a single-directed (unspecific, nonenzymatic) effect on the activity of glucose-6-phosphate and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenases within short periods (3-12 hrs). Within 24 and 72 hrs the effects of vitamin and antivitamin acquired the opposite (specific) direction towards the activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in liver tissues. Content of glucose-6-phosphate was altered depending on time of hydroxythiamin effect. Reverse correlation between the activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and content of the substrate was observed in heart muscle either after administration of hydroxythiamin or thiamin; the phenomenon suggest that dehydrogenase reactions affect considerably the regulation of glucose-6-phosphate content in the tissue.


Regulative influence of o-aminobenzoic acid on the biosynthesis of nourseothricin in cultures of Streptomyces noursei JA 3890b. III. Change of redox state of nicotinamide-adenine-dinucleotides in the presence of aminobenzoic acids. o-Aminobenzoic acid (OABA, anthranilic acid) and related compounds which are known to stimulate the biosynthesis of streptothricin-type antibiotic nourseothricin by Streptomyces noursei JA 3890b were found to increase strongly the NADH/NAD+ ratio in growing mycelium of this strain suggesting that these effectors are capable of interfering with the function of the respiratory chain. In parallel, a complex shift of metabolism was induced shown by simultaneous alteration of mycelial activities of alanine dehydrogenase, glutamine synthetase, and glutamate dehydrogenase. These changes may be responsible for the observed delay of amino acid catabolism and may improve the precursor supply of the secondary metabolism.


Evidence for altered cyclic nucleotide metabolism during compensatory renal hypertrophy and neonatal kidney growth. In adult male Sprague-Dawley rats contralateral nephrectomy was followed by an initial fall of the concentration of cGMP in renal cortical tissue followed by a rise to a peak level of 300 percent of the initial concentration within two hours. cGMP concentration in the remaining renal cortex remained at about 300 percent of the initial value during the subsequent 72 hours and slowly declined to 150-200 percent in the following two weeks. The changes in cGMP concentration were due to exactly parallel changes in the soluble fraction of renal cortical guanylate cyclase activity, while cGMP-phosphodiesterase activity remained unchanged. cAMP concentration after contralateral nephrectomy fell significantly by about 25 percent within two hours and remained below baseline level for up to eight hours. In the kidneys of newborn rats the concentration of cAMP was approximately one-half that found in adult kidneys: it slightly fell between the fourth and the seventh day after birth and subsequently continuously rose to reach adult values approximately two weeks after birth. The concentration of cGMP was significantly greater four days after birth than in adult rats, further rose between the fourth and the seventh day after birth and subsequently gradually declined to adult levels. The increased cGMP concentration appears to be due to an increase of guanylate cyclase activity in total kidney homogenates which, in turn, was mainly due to an increase of the particulate (membrane-bound) fraction of the enzyme. cGMP-phosphodiesterase activity, however, was also increased in respect to adult levels, one or three weeks after birth. Renal growth from the seventh day after birth to adulthood is accompanied by a continuous increase of the ratio cAMP/cGMP. Removal of one kidney four to seven days after birth resulted in a slower increase of this ratio. The data suggest that cGMP may trigger renal growth and that increases of cGMP concentration in the kidneys are the result of a primary increase in the activity of guanylate cyclase.


[Rehabilitation and gerontology (author's transl)]. The 9th congress of the GDR Society for Rehabilitation was organized jointly with the GDR Society for Gerontology and held from 4 to 6 January 1977. The article outlines observations made at and conclusions derived from this important scientific event. Three major problems were discussed: rehabilitation of chronically ill and handicapped persons of advanced age within the working process as a task for society as a whole; the combination between gerontology and rehabilitation as a result of the change in the age and morbidity structures of economically advanced countries; beginnings and first experience in the field of gerontology-oriented rehabilitation in the GDR and recommendations made by WHO on the planning and organization of geriatric services with special consideration for rehabilitation in advanced age.


Metabolism of arachidonic acid by platelets: utilization of arachidonic acid by human platelets in presence of linoleic and dihomo-gamma-linolenic acids. In vitro human platelet prostaglandin synthesis has been studied from added radioactive arachidonic acid (i) as function of substrate concentration, (ii) as function of platelet concentration and (iii) as function of pH. Platelets, as in platelet rich plasma when labelled with arachidonic acid, washed and treated with thrombin, released radioactivity mainly from phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylinositol. The released radioactivity was mostly accounted for by the formation of the previously identified oxygenation products of arachidonic acid. Platelet utilization or arachidonic acid was also studied in presence of linoleic and dihomo-gamma-linolenic acids, the two essential fatty acids known for antithrombotic effect. At its high concentrations linoleic acid decreased platelet cyclo-oxygenase activity as seen by a decreased formation of endoperoxides from arachidonic acid. Dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid was found to be a mutually competitive substrate with arachidonic acid for the platelet prostaglandin synthetase thus causing reduced utilization of arachidonic acid as shown by measuring the various oxygenation products of arachidonic acid. These two acids were utilized differently by platelet prostaglandin synthetase.


[The problem of the Romano-Ward syndrome--misinterpretation as genuine epilepsy]. It is reported on a case of Romano-Ward-syndrome in a 40-year-old female patient. The problems of the most frequent false interpretation as idiopathic epilepsy as well as the differential-diagnostic considerations concerning the exclusion of symptomatic QT(U)-elongations in the ECG are entered. The pathomechanisms which perhaps are the basis of the syndrome are discussed.


[Influence of drugs used in obstetrics on carbohydrate metabolism (author's transl)]. Drugs used in obstetrics which affect carbohydrate metabolism are reviewed in regard to their mode of action and their effects on diabetic pregnancies. Hyperglycemic reactions can be expected following administration of diuretics (especially with long acting thiazides), diazoxide, beta-adrenergic stimulants (tocolytics), glucocorticoids, and prolactin. Hypoglycemic reactions can occur with high doses of acetylsalicylic acid and in the presence of insulin with beta-adrenergic blockers or other inhibitors of the sympathetic system such as guanethidine. Other drugs affecting the carbohydrate metabolism are listed in regard to their hypo- or hyperglycemic effects.


[The heart in hypertension. V. Systolic and diastolic wall stress and degree of hypertrophy as determinants of diagnostic and therapeutical consequences (author's transl)]. The appropriateness of hypertrophy was analyzed in 64 patients with essential hypertension during diagnostic cardiac catheterization and left ventriculography. The degree of hypertrophy may be described by the relationships between peak systolic pressure, mass to volume ratio and peak systolic wall stress. The peak systolic wall stress represents an important determinant of the appropriateness of hypertrophy and has great influence on left ventricular function and myocardial energy demand. The hypertrophy in essential hypertension may be subdivided into 3 different types of hypertrophy: (a) inappropriate hypertrophy associated with increased mass-to-volume ratio and decreased systolic wall stress, (b) appropriate hypertrophy with normal systolic wall stress and (c) inappropriate hypertrophy with normal or decreased mass-to-volume ratio, however with significantly increased systolic wall stress. On the basis of the appropriateness or degree of left ventricular hypertrophy in essential hypertension the therapeutical consequences are being discussed with special reference to beta receptor blockade and digitalis glycosides.


The effect Mg2+ on the reduction of NADP by an artificial electron donor. The effect of Mg2+ on the light-dependent reduction of NADP by an artificial electron donor has been investigated with isolated broken chloroplasts. In both short and long wavelength actinic light, addition of the salt under most conditions stimulates the yield and the saturation rate. The magnitude of the stimulation is a function of pH. The data indicate that previous interpretations of the Mg2+ effect in this system invoking changes in the spill-over rate between the photosystems is no longer tenable. It is suggested that addition of the salt causes activation of inactive reaction centers.


Influence of soil pH and calcium nutrition on resistance of alfalfa to bacterial and verticillium wilt. Alfalfa plants of a resistant, a susceptible and a highly susceptible strains were grown in unlimed soil at pH 5.8 and in limed one at pH 6.9 and inoculated by the pathogens of vascular wilt, Corynebacterium insidiosum and Verticillium albo-atrum. Two types of liming were performed: 1) before inoculation and 2) after inoculation. Liming of the soil led to an increase in number of resistant plants. In susceptible plants the external symptoms of disease on the plant tops were delayed or alleviated. This phenomen was more conspicuous with Verticillium wilt than with bacterial wilt. The favourable effect of liming was less distinct in resistant strains than in susceptible ones. For an increase in resistance, post-infection liming of the soil was more effective in the case of bacterial wilt, while pre-infection liming provided the best results in the Verticillium wilt. The nitrogen content in the dry matter of roots from plants grown in limed soil was higher by more than a quarter as compared to roots from plants growing in unlimed soil.


[Studies of the ph dependency of the rubella HAI test (author's transl)]. To establish a possible dependency of the rubella hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) test upon the pH value, 4 pooled sera were examined for their content of rubella-specific antibody in the HAI test at varying pH (6.0;6.5;7.0;7.5;8.0). The results obtained for the range of pH 6.0--8.0 speak against a pH dependency of the rubella HAI test.


[Aqueous iodine solutions as disinfectants: composition, stability, comparison with chlorine and bromine solution (author's transl)]. The equilibrium concentrations of aqueous iodine solutions in dependence of the total concentration and the pH-value have been calculated with and without regard of the iodate formation. The values obtained by the latter methode enabled by application of the known rate law to calculate the initial rate of the iodate formation and to draw from this conclusions concerning the stability of iodine solutions. On the grounds of these calculations to aqueous iodine solutions in the concentration and pH-range which is relevant for disinfection (greater than 10(-5) M/l, pH 6--9) one can attribute a stability sufficient for the use in practice and - unlike chlorine and bromine solutions - a content of bactericidal "free halogene" which is higher and independent of the pH-value. The disinfecting action of the iodine cation (H2O+J) which is supposed to be very powerful can be neglected because of its low concentration (10(-3)--10(-6%) of the total concentration). Hypoiodic acid which has already been converted into iodate by disproportionation is as good as lost for the disinfection because of the extremely slow reverse reaction.


[Age patterns in the dynamics of unfavorably developing forms of schizophrenia in the light of late follow-ups in old age]. On the basis of study of 376 elderly patients it was established that the progression of the schizophrenic process, even in unfavorably developing forms (continuous-progressive, attacklike becoming continuous and attacklike with protracted attacks) in most of the cases is not unlimited. The greatest activity of the morbid process is seen in middle age and in the involutional period, while its alleviation (irrespective of age of the disease onset) coincides with senescence. These data may facilitate an establishment of a long-term prognosis and determine the correct therapeutic and social measures in relation to patients of old age.


[Effect of adrenoreceptor blockade on plasma renin activity during postnatal ontogenesis in dogs]. The activity of renin in the blood plasma of 10-, 18--22-day and 2--3-month puppies is higher than in adult dogs. Blocking beta adrenoreceptors in 18--22-day, 2--3 month and adult animals decreases the activity of renin. Hypotensive effect following beta adrenergic block in 10-day puppies and alfa adrenergic block in puppies of all age groups is accompanied by the increase in renin activity. In early ontogenesis, the leading role in regulation of renin secretion belongs to changes in renal hemodynamics.


Analysis of pH-induced changes of the glycolysis of human erythrocytes. The full time courses of some important metabolites of the glycolysis of human erythrocytes are reported following pH-shifts from pH 7.4 to 8.1 and from 8.1 to 6.9. The regulatory enzymes which are affected by the pH-transitions have been identified by computer simulation using a mathematical model of the erythrocyte glycolysis. It is concluded that in the transition to pH 8.1 the hexokinase-phosphofructokinase system is activated and the pyruvate kinase is inhibited. At pH 6.9 the hexokinase-phosphofructokinase system and the bisphosphoglycerate mutase are inhibited whereas the non-glycolytic ATP-consuming processes seem to be activated.


[Properties of vagal excitation transfer to the heart atrium]. A mathematical model of pre- and postganglionic parasympathetic nerve fiber excitation transfer is developed. This model gives a measure Q of acetylcholine (ACh) release from presynaptic preganglionic boutons and postganglionic varicosities. When increasing Ca++ the measure Q increases too. Na-ions exert a competitive inhibition. The relationship between Q and the Ca/Na2-quotient is a hyperbolic one. Mn++ inhibits the release of ACh non-competitively. Q increases both by excess potassium and Cs+ depolarization. The ACh release is diminished by Mg++. Ba++ cannot replace the effect of Ca++ on ACh release in Ca++ depleting conditions. Q increases with decreasing pH-level. The ACh release is not significantly influenced by increasing pH, Verapamil (4 mg/l), prostaglandins E2 and F2alpha (20 ng/ml) and substitution of nonpermeable anions for Cl-.


Alkaline ribonuclease associated with polyribosomes in fibroblasts of experimental granulation tissue. Alkaline ribonuclease (RNase) from polyribosomes derived from experimental granulation tissue has been purified 1900-fold through affinity chromatography. The preparation was homogeneous in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis with an estimated molecular weight of 15 000. Purified RNase was completely inhibited in the presence of divalent ions Mg2+(100 mM) and Ca2+(100 mM) but activated slightly with Na+(50 mM). The enzyme is an endonuclease and the best substrates were poly(U), mixed RNA from yeast, rRNA from granulation tissue and poly(C). The estimated apparent Km-values were 0.037, 0.064, 0.13 and 0.27 g1-1, respectively. In polyribosomes RNase occurred in both free and p-chloromercuribenzoate (pCMB)-liberated forms. The total activity was at the highest but the proportion of the free activity minimal in the granulation tissue during the maximal synthesis of collagen.


[Neurohumoral shifts in brain tumor patients]. The metabolism of acetylcholine and sympatheticoadrenal substances was studied in patients with cerebral tumors. A significant increase in the content of acetylcholine in blood and cerebrospinal fluid with a simultaneous decrease in the content of inhibitors and sympatheticoadrenal substances were established. A direct dependence between the degree of intracranial hypertension and the level of acetylcholine in blood and cerebrospinal fluid was revealed. Disorders of the metabolism of biologically active substances and their role in the pathogenesis of edema of the brain substantiate pathogenetically the inclusion of cholinolytic and sympathicotonic drugs in the symptomatic treatment of patients with cerebral tumors.


[Changes in cerebrospinal fluid pressure following administration of sodium hydroxybutyrate and viadril-G to patients with brain tumors]. The effect of sodium oxybutyrate and viadril-G on intracranial pressure was tested in 30 patients with tumours in injecting an anaesthetic. The electromanometric method was applied in measuring the pressure of cerebrospinal fluid and central venous pressure. A considerable reduction of intracranial pressure was noted in inducing anaesthesia by sodium oxybutyrate (by 34.5%) and viadril-G (by 24%), which was attended by an increase in perfusional brain pressure.


Interrelation between gastric blood flow and HCl secretion in dogs. The basal condition and influence of secretory stimulants and vasoactive substances. Total and mucosal blood flow in the nonsecreting stomach and the interrelation between local blood flow changes and gastric hydrochloric acid secretion as influenced by various drugs or hormones were investigated in 188 anaesthetized dogs. Substances acting on gastric acid secretion (histamine, pentagastrin, atropine and metiamide) and those showing vasoactive properties (norepinephrine, epinephrine, Hypertensin, nicotinic acid and glucagon) were used. Instillation of 0.1 N HCl solution into the stomach provided a good estimate of the mucosal blood flow of the nonsecreting stomach as measured by the aminopyrine clearance technique of Jacobson et al. Simultaneous recording of the total gastric blood flow with an electromagnetic blood flowmeter revealed the distribution of blood flowing through the mucosal and non-mucosal (submucosa-muscle) tissues of the resting stomach. During acid stimulation a shift of the gastric blood flow to the mucosa was observed, which may reach even 75--80% of the total amount of the blood supply during a given period. Metiamide entirely inhibited the gastric acid secretion induced by both histamine and pentagastrin, but did not parallelly diminish mucosal blood flow. Given during histamine infusion, glucagon strongly inhibited acid secretion while it did not decrease mucosal blood flow.


[Histamine and its role in peptic gastric diseases: the discovery of histamine-H2-receptor antagonists]. For the definition of histamine receptors the following prerequisites must be fulfilled: (1) Course of dose-response curves according to the mass-action law; (2) parallel displacement of these curves to the right in the presence of antagonists; (3) inhibition only by specific histamine antagonists; (4) slope of a Schild-plot not significantly different from unity. For H2-receptors these prerequisites could ideally be fulfilled, especially by the development of highly specific H2-receptor antagonists. However, this new class of compounds acts not only by mere competitive inhibition of histamine at its H2-receptor, but also by activating the metabolism of this secretagogue. A further explanation of the action of H2-receptor antagonists in the treatment of chronic duodenal ulcer may be given by studying the pathogenetic role played by histamine in the development of this disease: duodenal ulcer patients showed an increased liberation of histamine from mucosal mast cell stores as well as a decreased activity of histamine methyltransferase (i. e. longer action of histamine!). The rise in histamine content and histamine methyltransferase activity after vagotomy may be the basis for a biochemical explanation of the acid-reducing effect of this operation.


[Cimetidine in peptic ulcer hemorrhage and in reflux esophagitis]. The therapeutic effect of cimetidine in the treatment of 27 patients with peptic gastrointestinal ulcer, and of 7 patients with acid gastrooesophageal reflux, is reported. This product is recommended for the treatment of these two entities.


Timolol. Hypotensive effect, used alone and in combination for treatment of increased intraocular pressure. In 43 persons with increased intraocular pressure (IOP) Timolol maleate eye drops (0.25% and 0.5%) were used as a single and combined treatment. A significant decrease in IOP was noticed in 34 persons (P less than 0.001) initially. No diminished effect of treatment was apparent after 9 weeks in 34 subjects or after 15 weeks in 23 subjects with Timolol alone. In nine persons with high IOP, Timolol had a significant (P less than 0.001) but insufficient lowering effect. Epinephrine (1%) and acetazolamide appeared to have an additive effect in these cases. No serious local or systemic adverse effects were discovered.


Physico-chemical modification of lidocaine uptake in rat lung tissue. The uptake of lidocaine, methyllidocaine, bupivacaine, etidocaine was studied in rat lung slices at different pH-values. The accumulation of the quaternary analogue, methyllidocaine, was not changed in the pH interval 7.0--8.0. The uptake of the three other substances was about 3--4 times lower at pH 7.0 than at pH 8.0. The rank order of distribution at a fixed cation/base ratio was bupivacaine greater than etidocaine greater than lidocaine. Interactions between lidocaine and other substances were studied in lung slices and in isolated perfused lungs. Bupivacaine and nortriptyline counteracted the accumulation of 14C-lidocaine in lung slices in a dose-dependent manner. Nortriptyline was more effective than bupivacaine. In isolated perfused lung, bolus injections of nortriptyline and lidocaine rapidly displaced 14C-lidocaine from the tissue. In this study we suggest that the base form of local anaesthetics accumulate in the lung tissue, while the cationic form binds to accessible binding sites in the cell membranes.


The influence of biperiden in overdose on respiration and circulation in the dog. Biperiden lactate was administered intravenously in overdose to dogs under general anaesthesia. Biperiden appeared to have a toxic influence on respiration and circulation independently. Respiratory arrest occurred at a dose of 33 +/- 10 mg/kg and has probably a central origin. When artificial ventilation was instituted circulatory standstill occurred at a dose of 45 +/- 5 mg/kg. The toxic influence of biperiden is characterised by a decrease of heart rate and of left ventricular contractility resulting in cardiogenic shock. Biperiden is compared with orphenadrine as far as its potential hazard is concerned for patients trying to commit suicide by ingesting an overdose.


Organic anion and cation transport in vitro by dog choroid plexus: effects of neuroleptics and tricyclic antidepressants. Dog lateral choroid plexus accumulates the cation 14C-emepronium and the divalent anion 125I-iodipamide in vitro. At 10 micron, high potency neuroleptics with a substituted piperazine side chain and also haloperidol depress only the uptake of the cation and even stimulate the uptake of the anion. In contrast, at 1--10 micron, the accumulation of both test substances is inhibited by neuroleptics and tricyclic antidepressants with an aliphatic side chain. Such unspecific effects on seemingly unrelated transport systems at concentrations reached clinically in the CSF might explain some side actions of low potency neuroleptics and antidepressants.


Haemodynamic effects of the quaternary ammonium compound QX 572 in anaesthetized cats. III. Interactions with adrenergic beta-adrenoceptor blockade. The positive cardiac chronotropic effects of the antiarrhythmic compound, QX 572, in anaesthetized cats has been shown mainly to be due to a release of catecholamines from sympathetic nerve-endings. Furthermore, these undesired effects of QX 572 on heart rate were decreased by adrenergic beta blockade in the animals. In the present study it was found that an adrenergic beta-blockade did not reveal any cardiodepressive effects of QX 572, that in the normal animals might have been masked by the effects of the drug-induced catecholamine-release.


Effects of some cardioactive drugs on the oxygen affinity of whole blood. Increasing amounts of Digoxin, Lasix, Teofyllamin and CI-775 were added to human blood in vitro and the whole blood oxygen affinity was measured. We found no definite proof that any of the drugs was able to affect the oxygen affinity of the red cells even at unphysiologically high concentrations.


The structural and functional organization of the vestibular apparatus of rats exposed to weightlessness for 20 days on board the Sputnik "Kosmos-782". This investigation of the vestibular apparatus of rats exposed for 20 days to weightlessness on board an earth satellite and to acceleration during take-off and landing has revealed a set of changes in the structural and functional organization, such as adjoinment of the otolith to the utricle receptor surface and peripheral localization of the nucleoli inside the receptor cells' nuclei. Destruction of some receptor cells, apparently due to increased swelling of the vestibular apparatus tissue and alteration of the shape and structure of the otoconia were observed. In the horizontal crista, detachment of the cupula took place.


Development of Trypanosoma cruzi in the vector in the absence of blood. First stage nymphs of Triatoma infestans and Dipetalogaster maximus which had never fed after egg hatching, were allowed to ingest by artificial feeding a blood-free suspension of Trypanosoma cruzi trypomastigotes collected from experimentally infected mice. A high percentage of the vectors acquired a normal infection and produced infective stages. The parasite's development in the vector did not require blood but may have needed the presence of unknown factors secreted and/or excreted in the insect's digestive tract.


Trypanosoma (megatrypanum) melophagium in the sheep ked, Melophagus ovinus. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) study of the parasites and the insect gut wall surfaces. A description of the different stages of Trypanosoma (M.) melophagium in different regions of the gut of the sheep ked (Melophagus ovinus) as observed by the SEM is presented. The extensive pile carpet or palisade colonization of the midgut and pylorus is described. The method of attachment and the relationship of the parasites to the microvilli in the midgut and the cuticle of the pylorus and ileum observed by other methods are confirmed. The micro-structure of the surfaces themselves in the regions of the gut to which parasites attach are described. The use of the technique for the study of other similar systems is discussed.


Studies on Trypanosoma (nannomonas) congolense. I. On the morphological appearance of the parasite in the mouse. The pleomorphism of bloodstream Trypanosoma (Nannomonas) congolense was studied during the course of the first parasitaemic wave in mice using cloned and uncloned derivatives of three recent field isolates. The different morphological types were identified using the criteria described by Godfrey (1960). It was found that at any point of parasitaemia there were several morphological types of the parasite present, ranging from short to long forms. In the rising phase of parasitaemia, the short forms predominated, while at peak parasitaemia the parasites were highly pleomorphic, with significant proportions of short and "intermediate" forms although the long forms predominated. Pleomorphism was observed both in normal and in lethally irradiated (900 R) mice, even when the infection was initiated using a single organism. Such pleomorphism may result from physiological differences between the different forms of this parasite since these morphological types of T. congolense also differed in their ability to infect a new mammalian host.


Studies on Trypanosoma (nannomonas) congolense II. Observations on the cyclical transmission of three field isolates by Glossina morsitans morsitans. Teneral flies of Glossina morsitans morsitans were fed on mice infected with cloned and uncloned derivatives of three recent field isolates of Trypanosoma (Nannomonas) congolense. Flies with mature infections were identified by the warm-slide probe method and phase-contrast microscopy. High infection rates were achieved when such flies were fed on mice at peak parasitaemia. The infection rates were low when flies were fed on mice prior to or late after peak parasitaemia. The duration of the developmental cycle of T. congolense in the tsetse fly varied from 7 to 40 days: in 45% of the infective flies the developmental cycle was completed within 12 days; and in 76%, within 18 days.


Some effects of uninfected laboratory-reared tsetses (Glossina morsitans morsitans westw.) (diptera: glossinidae) on host-rabbits. Rabbits (Flemish giant x French lop-eared) exposed to 300 to 500 tsetses (Glossina morsitans morsitans Westw.) a day, 2 or 3 days a week, did not show significant differences from littermates receiving no exposure, with respect to weight changes, haematocrits, red and white blood cell counts or whole blood clotting times. In other rabbits, the same daily exposure, 6 days a week, resulted in sharp decreases in haematocrit levels and in some, changes in weights, but no change in citrated plasma thrombin times. Rabbit haematocrit levels correlated negatively with estimated weekly blood loss. Weights and haematocrits of most rabbits exposed to 1,200 to 1,500 flies on a single occasion were not affected. However, following heavy exposure, ears were cold and blood letting difficult, indicating the possibility of arteriolar vasoconstriction.


Report of a case of a giant phytobezoar in a patient with a duodenal bulb ulcer. A case of a large phytobezoar (750 g weight and with the length of 29 cm) due to Khormalou (Persimmon) is being reported in a young patient with chief complaint of abdominal pains and concomitant duodenal ulcer. Review of the literature in this subject shows that bezoars of this size and weight are relatively rare in healthy individuals.


Improved pacing tolerance of the ischemic human myocardium after administration of carnitine. The possibility that DL-carnitine has a protective effect during myocardial ischemia was evaluated by performing two rapid coronary sinus pacing studies 15 minutes apart in 21 patients with coronary artery disease. Eleven patients received DL-carnitine (20 or 40 mg/kg) before the second pacing study. The treated group had a significant increase in mean heart rate (12.5 beats/min, P less than 0.001), pressure-rate product (1,912 units, P less than 0.01) and pacing duration (3.2 minutes, P less than 0.001) after the administration of carnitine. The treated group also had improvements in percent myocardial lactate extraction (8.8 percent increase, P less than 0.001) and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (a decrease of 5.3 mm Hg, P less than 0.05). There was significantly less S-T segment depression during the second pacing period in both the untreated and treated groups. The results of this study suggest that in ischemic human hearts with reasonably well preserved left ventricular function, DL-carnitine may improve the tolerance for stress associated with an increase in heart rate and pressure-rate product.


Lack of effect of riboflavin deficiency on vitamin B12-related metabolic pathways and fatty acid synthesis. The neurological sequelae of riboflavin deficiency posed the possibility that this tissue injury was mediated by defective vitamin B12 function due to the requirement for riboflavin-dependent oxidoreductase systems in B12 coenzyme synthesis and function. Studies of the B12-dependent enzymatic reactions (5-methyltetrahydrofolic-homocysteine methyltransferase and methylmalonyl coenzyme A mutase) in a fiboflavin-deficient rat model documented normal B12 activity in liver and neural tissue. In addition, examination of neural lipids and separation and analysis of neural fatty acids failed to reveal the increased odd chain fatty acids characteristically seen in the B12-deficient state. Thus, the neural tissue sequelae of riboflavin deficiency do not appear to relate to B12 coenzyme function.


Sphingolipid biosynthesis and vitamin K metabolism in Bacteroides melaninogenicus. B. melaninogenicus provides a unique system for the study of the biosynthesis of an important group of lipids, the phosphosphingolipids. Sphingolipid biosynthesis can be repressed and induced by depletion and restoration of vitamin K. At least one enzyme involved in sphingolipid biosynthesis from the microorganism can be solubilized and so purified by conventional methods. Pathways involved in biosynthesis may differ from hitherto postulated pathways, for example, the incorporation of NH4+ into ethanolamine residue of ceramide phosphorylethanolamine. Moreover, the derivation of mutants defective in steps in sphingolipid biosynthesis would be of great value in these studies.


Mechanisms of action of cholera and Escherichia coli enterotoxins. Current information is reviewed on the mechanism of secretion in small intestine, including how it is altered by cyclic 3',5'-adenosine monophosphate and on the structures and properties of cholera and both heat-labile and heat-stable Escherichia coli enterotoxins. Two separate active ion transport processes are altered by cyclic 3',5'-adenosine monophosphate: 1) coupled absorption of NaCl is inhibited in villus cells and 2) active anion secretion is stimulated, probably in crypt cells. Cholera and heat-labile E. coli toxins exert their secretory effect by stimulating intestinal mucosal adenylate cyclase. This stimulation results from the A1 subunit catalyzed transfer of adenosine diphosphate ribose from NAD to a membrane-bound guanosine triphosphatase, thereby inhibiting the enzyme, which normally represses adenylate cyclase. Heat-stable E. coli enterotoxin stimulates intestinal mucosal guanylate cyclase, which appears to be the basis for its enterotoxicity.


Illicit drug use among urban adolescents. A decade in retrospect. Over the past decade (1967 to 1977), 76,000 adolescents were screened for a history and somatic signs of illicit drug use at a detention center for juveniles and at an adolescent inpatient unit of a university-affiliated hospital. Dramatic changes in the patterns of drug abuse are reported. Opiate use was prominent in the first half of the decade with a peak in 1970 to 1971 and marijuana use more prominent in the last five years. Inhalant abuse as represented by glue and halogenated cleaning fluids was documented only early in the decade, while the existence of stimulant and depressant abuse follows still other patterns over the decade. Hospital admissions for serious somatic complications of illicit drug use, namely, overdose, drug-related death, hepatic coma, detoxification, and viral hepatitis, were correlated only with trends in the use of opiates. Awareness of drug abuse patterns among adolescents is important for the health professional so that complications can be diagnosed and treated and educational efforts properly directed.


Fluid secretion in the duodenum and intestinal handling of water and electrolytes in Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. The slow marker perfusion technique was used in five patients with the Zollinger-Ellison syndrome in order to determine the basal and postcibal flow rates of fluids passing the duodenojejunal junction and distal ileum, and the composition of those fluids. Fecal water and electrolyte excretions were also measured. The 24-hr outputs at the ligament of Treitz were markedly increased, while fecal losses were normal or only slightly increased. Thus, the overall intestinal reabsorption of water was 96%. Fasting rates of fluid and electrolyte flow at the ligament of Treitz were also measured during a basal period, followed by a period of continuous gastric aspiration. Removal of gastric secretion had the following effects on the fluid passing through the duodenum: (1) dramatic decrease in flow rate; (2) an increase in osmolality, from hypotonicity to isotonicity; (3) rise of pH, from acid to alkaline values; (4) a decrease of PCO2, from high to normal values. No increase in fasting plasma levels of immunoreactive secretin and motilin was observed in Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, whereas normal subjects respond to acid in the duodenum by a marked rise in the circulating levels of these hormones. These facts suggest that, in Zollinger-Ellison syndrome: (1) the ability of the small bowel and colon to reabsorb water and electrolytes is normal: (2) duodenal dissipation of hydrogen ions is mainly due to intraluminal neutralization by bicarbonate; and (3) stimulation of water and electrolyte secretion by the pancreas is  inadequate.


Anesthesia for cesarean section: further studies. This study was designed to re-evaluate neonatal condition at birth following elective cesarean section performed with epidural anesthesia and a modified technique of general anesthesia. Two groups of 20 patients were studied. Twenty received epidural anesthesia with 2 per cent lidocaine-carbon dioxide-epinephrine, and 20 patients were given general anesthesia. Modifications of our previous general anesthetic technique included the administration, to the mother, of high inspired concentrations of oxygen (66 per cent) prior to delivery, short induction-to-delivery intervals, and positioning of the mother in a 20 degrees left lateral tilt position. No significant differences in oxygen tension and acid-base balance in umbilical venous and arterial blood were demonstrated between the two sets of neonates. One-and five-minute Apgar scores and time to sustained respiration were similar in both groups. Our observations of the infants immediately after delivery led us to conclude that either anesthesia technique is acceptable for elective cesarean section.


Cardiac and uterine hemodynamic responses to ritodrine hydrochloride administration in pregnant sheep. The changes in the maternal circulation following administration of ritodrine hydrochloride were investigated in chronically prepared pregnant sheep. Low infusion rates of ritodrine (see text) elevated the maternal heart rate and cardiac output and decreased peripheral vascular resistance. Stroke work fell while minute work increased. The distribution of uterine blood flow did not change, as measured with microspheres. Simultaneously measured fetal cardiac output and umbilical blood flow were not altered. When ritodrine infusion rates (see text) were increased there was a slight but significant decrease in uterine perfusion pressure, and an increase in uterine vascular resistance with uterine blood flow decreasing. These changes were observed when the ewes were not in labor, and similar changes were again recovered with ewes in labor despite the simultaneous inhibition of uterine contractions. Selective beta blockade with practolol during ritodrine administration decreased the maternal tachycardia without affecting cardiac output, peripheral vascular resistance, or uterine vascular resistance.


Continuous intrapartum monitoring of fetal scalp pH. Forty patients were monitored intrapartum with a continuous fetal scalp tissue pH electrode in the mean time of 2.39 hours. The monitoring records were considered "accurate" with good correlation to the intermittent fetal scalp capillary pH values in 76.9 per cent. The correlation coefficient was 0.74. The "accuracy" improved in the latter 23 cases to 87 per cent with a correlation coefficient of 0.82. This improvement was probably due to modification of the application technique, as well as to a new calibration method at 37 degrees. Continuous fetal scalp pH monitoring was clinically useful in 65 per cent, it was partially useful in 20 per cent, but of no value in 15 per cent of the patients studied. There were no apparent maternal complications with the use of this technique and 38 of the infants had no sequelae. Two infants had complications: one developed inflammation of the electrode site. This was treated with antibiotics. One electrode broke during the application and a fragment of the electrode tip remained in the fetal scalp. All the infants were grossly normal and there was a good correlation between the continuous pH readings and the immediate neonatal outcome.


beta-carotene intestinal absorption: bile, fatty acid, pH, and flow rate effects on transport. beta carotene absorption in the unanesthetized rat was investigated by recirculating a micellar perfusate that contained beta-carotene through jejunal and ileal intestinal loops. Radioautography revealed extensive distribution of the provitamin throughout the layers of the small bowel. A linear relationship was found between the concentration of beta-carotene in the perfusate and its rate of absorption at perfusate concentrations of 0.5--11 mM. Increases in the perfusate hydrogen ion concentrations, additions of fatty acids of varied chain lengths and degrees of saturation, and an increase in the perfusate flow rate caused higher rates of beta-carotene absorption. Increase in the perfusate sodium taurocholate concentration above 2.5 microM did not change the absorption rate of beta-carotene. These experiments indicate that beta-carotene absorption takes place by passive diffusion. The process of diffusion can be modulated by intraluminal factors that change the physical characteristics of perfusate or stimulate the intracellular cleavage of carotene to retinal.


Volume overload heart failure: length-tension curves, and response to beta-agonists, Ca2+, and glucagon. Left ventricular force-generating capacity was determined in 19 anesthetized dogs with heart failure (HF) from aortocaval fistula. At the time of study all dogs had ascites, edema, and elevated pulmonary wedge pressure. Length-contractile force (CF) curves recorded from the left ventricle (LV) with a modified Walton-Brodie arch indicated that the LV was operating on the ascending limb of the length-CF curve at 62.4 +/- 0.1% Lmax in the normal group and in the HF group at 83.4 +/- 2.7% Lmax. In HF the length-CF curve was depressed when compared to normal and was further depressed when CF in grams was normalized for changes in LV wall thickness and expressed as g/cm2. Additionally, dose-response curves of CF in response to injected norepinephrine, isoproterenol, glucagon, and calcium were depressed when compared to the normal group while the response of heart rate and blood pressure was not different. These findings indicate that volume overload HF is associated with depressed ventricular muscle function and a depressed response to inotropic drugs.


Lorazepam, a new benzodiazepine derivative, in the treatment of anxiety: a double-blind clinical evaluation. Ninety-five adult outpatients suffering from moderate to severe anxiety were randomly assigned to treatment with lorazepam or placebo in a double-blind four-week study. Patients were evaluated at pretreatment and after two and four weeks of treatment using three rating scales. Lorazepam, at an average daily dose of 3.2 mg twice daily, was highly effective in relieving anxiety as documented by clinically and statistically significant differences over placebo in most of the items on all rating scales at all rating periods. No serious adverse effects were reported, and there were no adverse interactions with other medications, including digitalis and aspirin.


Comparative efficacy of tofisopam and placebo. Tofisopam is a new agent marketed in Europe as a minor tranquilizer. The authors conducted a 4-week double-blind trial of this drug compared with placebo in 57 outpatients with anxiety and depression. They found that according to physician ratings and patient self-ratings tofisopam was an effective anxiolytic agent for subjects with anxiety and depression. Twenty-one percent of the patients receiving tofisopam and 10% of those receiving placebo reported side effects. The drug was especially effective in the treatment of somatic difficulties.


Injuries in soccer.

Injuries in soccer. The injury profile of a professional soccer team from the 1976 to 1977 season is compiled in this report. Injuries are spread across all of the playing positions, with midfielders and forwards being most prone to injury. During the entire season of this report, 60 injuries were encountered, 35 during game situations and 25 in practice. The most common injuries noted were foot and ankle sprains, but muscle strains were also frequent. Most injuries were of a minor variety. Seventeen injuries resulted in missed games while 46 injuries resulted in no games being missed. Only one player had an injury which did not allow him to return to play during the season. Although little is written in the American literature concerning soccer injuries, it does appear that the injury potential is much less when compared with that of football. The rapid increase in interest in this sport will require physicians and trainers to become familiar with its specific needs in order to render adequate care and participate in injury prevention programs.


[The solubilizer of diazepam (valium)--its action on respiration (author's transl)]. Investigations carried out in volunteers showed that when compared with physiological saline the solubilizer of diazepam caused hyperventilation. Among the constituents of the solubilizer propylene glycol and ethyl alcohol have to be excluded, likely benzyl alcohol was due to the respiratory response. Benzyl alcohol has local anesthetic properties and its action on respiration has never been examined up to now. Therefore a further study was performed to compare ampoule solutions of diazepam with or without benzyl alcohol in the solubilizer used. The solutions were given intravenously, the dose of diazepam was 0.35 mg/kg, that of benzyl alcohol 1.1 mg/kg respectively. The measurements showed that solutions containing benzyl alcohol produced a statistical significant increase of respiratory rate and of minute volume. In case of intravenous administration of Valium using ampoule solutions diazepam and in addition a second active substance are applicated. The latter defined as benzyl alcohol has stimulating effects on respiration.


[Lormetazepam in preoperative sleeplessness. Dose dependance of the effect and comparison with 100 mg pentobarbital (author's transl)]. Lormetazepam (0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8 mg)--a new benzodiazepine--was tested versus Pentobarbital (100 mg) under double blind conditions on 240 preoperative inpatients for night-time sedative and side effects after acute oral intake. Results are based on p less than 0.05. Additionally p less than 0.125 in binomial-two-sample-tests was accepted. Lormetazepam shows dose dependent increase in hypnotic effects (e.g. reduction in sleep latency and number of awakenings, increase of total sleep duration), and side effects (e.g. dopiness, dizziness), but no relevant change in vital signs. About 0.5 mg of Lormetazepam are equivalent to 100 mg of Pentobarbital. 2 mg of Lormetazepam seem to be the optimum dose regarding the relation between hypnotic and side effects. In the view of anaesthesists Lormetazepam is preferable to Pentobarbital because of more favorable safety aspects.


The hypotensive response to rapid intravenous administration of hypertonic solutions in man and in the rabbit. Transient hypotension has been observed in patients after rapid intravenous administration of mannitol, 25 per cent, in clinical doses. These studies were conducted to determine the mechanism for the hypotension, to determine dose and rate of injection response curves in rabbits, and to determine which vascular beds were most reactive. Studies in six patients showed mean decreases in blood pressure of 23 +/- 6.0 per cent (+/-SE) and in total peripheral resistance of 38 +/- 7 per cent after infusion of mannitol. Studies in 18 patients during cardiopulmonary bypass with mechanically fixed cardiac output demonstrated decreases in mean blood pressure of 30 +/- 5 to 40  +/- 3 per cent, depending on dose and rate of administration of mannitol. Patients not on bypass compensated for large decreases in total peripheral resistance by increases in cardiac output (3.6 +/- .4 at baseline to 4.4 +/- .4 l/min) during mannitol-induced hypotension with no change in heart rate. Serum osmolality increased as blood pressure decreased. Significant but clinically unimportant decreases in sodium and potassium ions, hemoglobin, pH, and base excess values were observed. Studies in 18 rabbits showed that the greater the dose or rate of injection of mannitol the greater the decrease in blood pressure. Injection of radiolabeled microspheres in rabbits demonstrated a near doubling of blood flow to skeletal muscle tissue during the hypotension. This occurred with both equiosmotic hypertonic glucose (17 +/- 3 to 32 +/- 7 per cent) and mannitol (17 +/- 1 to 31 +/- 5 per cent), but not after isotonic saline solution. Changes in blood flow to other organ beds were variable and unimportant. The results suggest that hypotension following the intravenous administration of hyperosmotic solutions is due primarily to vasodilation in skeletal muscle.


[Effect of the pH of Ascaridia galli egg culture medium on the experimental infection in chickens]. 1. A prolonged preservation of Ascaridia galli eggs in acid medium when cultivating them under laboratory conditions inhibits considerably the establishment of Ascaridia galli in the organism of chickens. The neutralization of medium of egg cultivation 3 days before their application for infesting facilitates the increase of larvae established in the organism. 2. In chickens invaded with Ascaridia galli eggs cultivated in medium with pH 8.0, larvae develop in the period of 7--21 days of invasion in the amount of 2.5--69 times more than in chickens receiving the same eggs but which have been cultivated in acid medium (pH 2.2) for the whole cultivation period. 3. With the increase in invasion period, the number of established larvae decreases in both test groups, but in chickens receiving eggs which have been cultivated in medium with pH 8.0, the number of larvae is considerably higher.


Leydig cells within the lamina propria of seminiferous tubules in four patients with azoospermia. Mature, polygonal Leydig cells within the thickened lamina propria of the seminiferous tubules are commonly found in three cases of cryptorchidism and one case of Sertoli-cell-only syndrome. By contrast, under normal conditions Leydig cells between the peripheral layers of the peritubular tissue were only occasionally met in a spindle-shaped variant. In both instances, Leydig cells were positively identified in the electron microscope by characteristic features such as anabundant smooth endoplasmic reticulum, tubular inclusions and crystals of Reinke. The development of Leydig cells from myoid contractile cells within the lamina propria is discussed.


[Osmotic colloidal pressure: measurement and clinical importance]. Knowledge of osmotic pressure has long existed and its practical use in the treatment of patients under intensive care has been widely developed over the past few years following the introduction of simple electronic osmometers. It is related more to plasma albumin than to globulins. It varies in relation with a certain number of physiological factors and in different pathological circumstances. The value of OP and above all of the difference OP--PCP in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of pulmonary oedema has been clearly demonstrated in several recent studies. Its value in relation to total serum proteins is that it takes into account any possible dysproteinaemia and that it is directly expressed in units of pressure which makes possible the calculation of the OP--PCP difference which represents the difference between the only OP--PCP difference which represents the difference between the only two intravascular forces which participate in fluid exchanges at the level of the pulmonary capillary.


[Plasma concentration of fentanyl during and after its administration at constant flow]. Using the technique of the radio-immunological estimation with fentanyl-H3, a study was made in sixteen adults anaesthetised by the administration at a constant rate of alfadione and fentanyl, of plasma concentrations of fentanyl during and after anaesthesia. Anaesthesia was induced by the administration of 4.2ml of alfadione and 0.084mg of fentanyl. The maintenance dose was 0.147 ml/kg/hour of alfadione and 2.95 microgram/hg/hour of fentanyl. Five minutes after induction, the concentration of fentanyl was 2.7 microgram/l. The level fell significantly to 2.56 microgram/l at the 45th minute. From this point onwards, it increased regularly up to the 120th minute, when it reached a level of 3.7 microgram/l. When the infusion was stopped, the level first decreased rapidly, the excretion curve then becoming flattened out. At the 120th minute, a level of 1 microgram/l persisted. This study indicates that the administration of fentanyl at a constant rate is not accompanied by a constant blood concentration up to the 120th minute, the point at which the study was terminated. The residual level found after administration and in the absence of any clinical effect implies the need for a reduction in dose at the time of any complementary administration of fentanyl during the postoperative period.


[A case of dextromoramide allergy with positive lymphoblast transformation test]. An allergic type complication with cardiac arrest occurred at the time of induction of anaesthesia in a 17-year-old girl. There were no sequelae. The lymphoblastic transformation test was positive to Palfium, indicating the existence of an immune factor in the aetiogenesis of the complication.


[Malignant syndrome caused by neuroleptics (3 observations)]. This study concerns 3 cases of malignant syndrome due to neuroleptics. Our aim is to clarify the nature of this syndrome and to attempt to delimit it from malignant hyperthermia. The etiology suggests that its occurence should increase with the growing use of very active neuroleptics. It consists clinically of an extrapyramidal syndrome with hypertonicity, akinesia, tremor and with a neuro-vegetative syndrome of which the main sign is hyperthermia. On the basis of physiopathology it is attempted to explain, in the light of fresh data, the extrapyramidal signs, the hyperthermia and the rise in the OPK Etiological treatment has, however, proved disappointing.


[Comparison of the penetration of various short venous catheters]. Two methods used to measure the degree of the forces involved, in an experimental model--a polyethylene film stretched over a drum, during the penetration of different short venous catheters were compared. One involved strain gauge force sensors, whilst the other used simple and easy to use equipment. The forces necessary for the penetration of introducer needles are on the one hand relatively slight and secondly quite close to each other. By contrast, there are wide differences between the degree of force necessary to obtain penetration of the catheter itself. These forces are in general less for teflon catheters than for those made of polypropylene. The degree does not appear to be related to the size. It remains to attempt to establish a correlation between ease of penetration and tolerance.


[Analytical study and processing of information from a primary intervention report]. Analytical study of treatment of information from a primary intervention by the S.A.M.U. were brought about with the aim of performing a "statistical" study of enumeration of the various possibilities, using three "standard" programmes. After exploitation of the statistical data, the card index is stocked on conventional magnetic tape and verified by different parameters permitting its identification. In addition, the concatenation of different card indices is easy to obtain, which makes it possible to carry out research into all existing file cards regardless of the month or year.


[The effect of surgical incisions on ventilatory function]. Normal surveillance was extended to include respiratory function tests (Vital capacity, FEV1, Maximum Breathing Capacity) on 40 post-operative patients. The reduction relative to pre-operative values on the 1st day after operation was of the order of 60 p. 100 for high abdominal incisions, 35 p. 100 for low abdominal incisions and 15 p. 100 for non abdominal incisions. A return to preoperative values was obtained on the 15th, the 6th and the 4th post-operative days respectively. These changes are found to be well correlated to the limitation of diaphragmatic movement in high incisions. As a result, there is a hypoventilation of the lower lobes of the lungs and a shunt effect which lead to hypoxaemia. The reduction in respiratory function in those subjects without an abdominal incision demonstrated that other factors, particularly the influence of a general anaesthesia, need to be taken into account. Numerous clinical observations show that a reduction in respiratory volumes and capacities do not spare the young subjects and may be dramatic in certain cases. These indicate that a daily assessment of respiratory function at the bedside may provide a simple means for early recognition of intercurrent complications.


[Spectrofluorimetric estimation in biological fluids of a new beta-blockader: atenolol. Application to its pharmacokinetic study (author's transl)]. The authors describe a simple method of fluorimetric estimation of atenolol, applicable to blood and urine, sufficiently sensitive to permit a pharmacokinetic study. After administration of a dose of 200 mg by the oral route to hypertensive subjects, one may observe a maximal plasma concentration 3 hours after the dose average value 3.91 +/- 0.71 mumol/l (1.04 +/- 0.19 mg/l). The apparent half life of elimination of phase beta is 14.1 +/- 4.9 h, values comparable with those calculated from urinary data 14.6 +/- 2.0 h. The renal clearance was 140 +/- 32 ml/min; 54 +/- 14% of the administered dose are excreted in the urine. After administration by the venous route, urinary excretion represents 96% of the dose administered.


[Determination of dipotassium clorazepate in the plasma by gas chromatography (author's transl)]. The authors present a method of estimation of dipotassium clorazepate by gas chromatography with a detector for electron capture. It requires 2 ml of blood. Two separate extractions are necessary, including one immediately after the sampling to determine the nordiazepam present at the time of the blood sample. The second extraction permits one to determine the total nordiazepam obtained by transformation of all the dipotassium clorazepate. This method is simple and rapid and permits one to determine with precision, specificity and good reproducibility (CV -- 3%) the therapeutic concentrations of this drug.


Biological and biochemical characteristics of Fusobacterium necrophorum leukocidin. The production of a leukocidal exotoxin by 18-hour dialysis cultures of Fusobacterium necrophorum was detected in vitro by a cytotoxicity assay, using bovine leukocytes isolated from peripheral blood. Biological characteristics were determined while maximizing the in vitro assay. Biochemical characteristics of heat stability and stability to degradative enzymes were investigated and indicated that the leukocidin is protein in nature. The characteristics indicate that this leukocidin is different from previous descriptions in the literature of the characteristics of a leukotoxin produced by F necrophorum.


[Effects of the nature of energy in food and use of anabolic agents on the quality of veal]. The effects of the nature of energy intake, of the slaughter weight and of the use of hormones on the quality of veal meat were studied. Concerning the colour of meat, the use of hormones has no effect either on the pigment content or on the ultimate pH, but the nature of energy intake and the slaughter weight can affect these two parameters. With the increase of the slaughter weight and the substitution of lipids by starch in the diet, the probability to get a redder meat increases. For a given carcass weight, the use of hormones goes with a significant decrease of the tenderness of meat.


Responsiveness of the rabbit eye to adrenergic and cholinergic agonists after treatment with 6-hydroxydopamine or alpha-methyl-para-tyrosine: part II--intraocular pressure changes. The influence of adrenergic and cholinergic drugs on intraocular pressure after chemical sympathectomy produced by 6-hydroxydopamine has been examined in rabbits. For comparison, ocular tension in response to these same drugs has been measured after chronic treatment of rabbits with the norepinephrine synthesis inhibitor alpha-methyl-para-tyrosine. The results indicated that the effects of these 2 treatments were both qualitatively and quantitatively similar. In both cases, supersensitivity to the pressure-lowering effects of alpha and beta adrenergic amines developed. After administration of cholinergic drugs, however, ocular tension became elevated to values ranging from 3 to 7 mm Hg above the baseline levels.


Some laboratory correlates of drinking habits. The effect of drinking habits on the frequency distributions of eight biochemical or haematological test results was studied in 7915 patients attending a multiphasic health testing centre. Increasing incidences of abnormal results with increasing alcohol intake, at levels of alcohol intake habitual for a large proportion of the population, were found for plasma gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, triglycerides and uric acid, and for erythrocyte mean corpuscular volume. Of four frequently used liver function tests, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, bilirubin, and albumin, only aspartate aminotransferase was strongly affected by drinking habits. These findings have relevance for the detection of individuals whose drinking habits are harmful to them, and for the interpretation of 'profile' results.


Estimation of alcohol intake from laboratory results. Subjects with abnormalities in a number of laboratory tests were shown to have higher than usual probabilities of being heavy drinkers. Quantitative estimates have been made of the probabilities of heavy drinking from the results of the following tests: gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, mean corpuscular volume, uric acid, triglyceride, and aspartate aminotransferase. In men, but not in women, there was a clear increase in this probability with increasing test results for these five tests, which may prove useful in the detection of individuals who are at risk from their drinking habits.


Detection and incidence of B and C vitamin deficiency in alcohol-related illness. The activity of the red blood cell enzymes transketolase, glutathione reductase, and aspartate transaminase, and their activation by the coenzymes thiamine, riboflavin, and pyridoxine, the pyruvate tolerance test, the leucocyte vitamin C concentration, and the activity in serum of gamma-glutamyl transferase were measured in a series of 35 patients with alcohol-related illness. The incidence of thiamine deficiency was 31% as assessed by the activation of transketolase, and 55% as assessed by the pyruvate tolerance test. The incidence of riboflavin deficiency was 23% and of ascorbic acid deficiency 91%. No cases of pyridoxine deficiency were detected. The pyruvate tolerance test was found to be a more sensitive test of thiamine deficiency than the transketolase activation, and the activation of red blood cell aspartate transaminase was found to be a poor indicator of pyridoxine deficiency. There was a poor correlation of the gamma-glutamyl transferase activity with the degree of vitamin deficiency, suggesting that alcohol exposure is only partly responsible for the observed vitamin deficiency.


Effect of anticonvulsant drugs on urinary excretion of gamma-glutamyl transferase in women. Excretion of gamma-glutamyl transferase was found to be significantly higher in a group of epileptic patients on long-term anticonvulsant therapy than in normal subjects. The losses, which may reflect renal enzyme induction, were unrelated to drug dose or duration of therapy and were significantly lower than those found in normal healthy pregnant women at term.


Antiviral effect of apple beverages.

Antiviral effect of apple beverages. A variety of apple beverages were tested for antiviral activity against poliovirus 1 or coxsackievirus B5. Freshly prepared apple juice was particularly antiviral, but its activity declined more readily than that of commercial juice in response to heat and storage. The component responsible for activity was located both in the pulp and skin; after ultrafiltration, activity was present in fractions greater and less than molecular weight 10,000. Virus infectivity was not restored from virus-apple juice complexes with gelatin, serum, Tween 80, or polyethylene glycol.


Production, characterization, and partial amino acid sequence of xylanase A from Schizophyllum commune. Xylanase A, one of several extracellular xylanases produced by Schizophyllum commune strain Delmar when grown in submerged culture with spruce sawdust as carbon source, was purified 43-fold in 25% yield with respect to total xylanase activity. Although some polysaccharide was strongly bound to the purified enzyme, the complex could be dissociated by sodium dodecyl sulfate and appeared homogeneous on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The molecular weight of the protein, calculated from the electrophoretic mobility, was 33,000. The molecular activity of the purified xylanase A, determined with soluble larch xylan as substrate, was 1.4 X 10(5) min-1, with xylobiose and xylose as the major products. The enzyme had a pH optimum of 5.0 and a temperature optimum of 55 degrees C in 10-min assays. The acid hydrolysate of xylanase A was rich in aspartic acid and aromatic amino acids. The sequence of 27 residues at the amino terminus showed no homology with known sequences of other proteins.


Quantitative assay for algal chemotaxis. A quantitative capillary assay is described for measuring chemoreception in the neritic and littoral unicellular alga Dunaliella tertiolecta. Lucite chemotaxis plates were used in the assay with 3-microliter capillaries. A Coulter Counter was employed to determine algal cell numbers. D. tertiolecta is attracted to ammonium ion with a maximum positive response at 10(-3) M. Inclusion of calcium and L-methionine in the chemotaxis medium stimulates algal chemoreception, although neither chemical is essential for motility. Attraction of the chlorophyte to ammonium is dependent on time of incubation, cell density, and pH. The optimum pH for attraction was found to be 6.25.


Injury to Staphylococcus aureus during sausage fermentation. Staphylococcus aureus 196E added to a beef sausage containing starter culture and 0.5 to 2.0% glucose and incubated at 35 degrees C was unable to grow when plated on tryptic soy agar (TSA) containing 7.5% NaCl. The injury, presumed to be due to the lactic acid produced during fermentation, was more pronounced at the lower concentrations of glucose (and lower acid levels). In the absence of glucose and/or starter culture, no injury was observed. When sausages containing S. aureus injured by fermentation at 35 degrees C were incubated at 5 degrees C, the counts on TSA (measures both injured and uninjured cells) and TSA containing 7.5% NaCl (measures uninjured cells only) remained constant; however, upon reincubation of the cold-stored sausage at 35 degrees C, the staphylococcus counts on TSA and TSA containing 7.5% NaCl and were similar to the counts of S. aureus present in fermenting sausages that had never been subjected to 5 degrees C. The demonstration of acid injury indicated that the injury phenomenon must be considered when determining numbers of viable S. aureus in fermented sausages.


Silica gel media for isolating and studying bacteria under hydrostatic pressure. Individual colonies of micrococcus euryhalis and of a marine bacterial isolate were grown in pour tubes under hydrostatic pressure. The medium was prepared in a silica sol, and gelation was effected at 4 degrees C by addition of salts to achieve concentrations found in seawater.


Elution of poliovirus adsorbed to membrane filters. At a constant pH of 9, recovery of poliovirus adsorbed to membrane filters was dependent on the chemical nature of the material used for elution. Neutral and basic acids were relatively good eluents, whereas acidic amino acids and organic acids were poor eluents.


Effects of glucose, pH, and dissolved-oxygen tension on Bacillus cereus growth and permeability factor production in batch culture. The production of a Bacillus cereus enterotoxin, measured as rabbit skin permeability factor (PF), in response to differences in glucose availability, pH, and dissolved oxygen tension was studied in a 1-liter batch fermentor system. Glucose had to be present for toxigenesis to occur. In uncontrolled fermentation an increasing inhibition of PF production and growth occurred as pH dropped occurred below 6.5. Optimum pH for toxigenesis was 7.0 to 7.5, and fermentations maintained at this level yielded 10- to 20-fold more PF than comparable uncontrolled fermentations. PF production was appreciably diminished at or below pH 6.0 and at or above pH 8.5. Peak PF titer was associated with a drop in acid output, and the titrant utilization profile could be used as an indication of this point. Productivity was greatest in the early exponential phase of growth and decreased to zero at the transition phase. Differences in dissolved oxygen tension affected both the maximum productivity early in the fermentation and the rate of its decrease as growth progressed. The optimum dissolved oxygen tension for toxigenesis was 0.002 atm, and the most rapid growth occurred at 0.10 atm. Productivity and growth were reduced under anerobic conditions, whereas a hyperoxic environment severely reduced productivity, but not growth. Postexponential-phase loss of toxic activity coincided with a rapid increase in cellular oxygen demand. Neither was inhibited by the presence of glucose. However, PF loss was completely prevented by stringent oxygen limitation. Extracellular proteolytic activity did not appear to be responsible for the loss of toxic activity.


Pectinolytic enzymes of large rumen treponemes. Large spiral organisms isolated from the rumen of cattle produced and released into the external environment a complex of pectinolytic enzymes, consisting mainly of poly(1,4-alpha-D-galacturonide) lyase (EC 4.2.2.2, formerly EC 4.2.99.3), most active at pH 8.0 to 9.0, and another enzyme acting at pH below 7.0, probably a poly(1,4-alpha-D-galacturonide) glycanohydrolase (EC 3.2.1.15). The mixture of enzymes degraded polygalacturonate to saturated and unsaturated monogalacturonates as the end products. A pectin pectylhydrolase (pectinesterase) (EC 3.1.1.11) was also present in the clarified cultures.


Abnormal circulating red blood cells in the painful bruising syndrome. Red cells of 3 patients with the painful bruising syndrome showed morphological abnormalities. In the fraction not sedimenting in Ficoll/Isopaque gradient centrifugation, some of the cells had club-shaped processes, mitochondria, nuclear remnants, and vacuoles. In freeze-etch preparations, 90% of the red cells showed membrane elevations at pH 7.4 and 25% at pH 6.4, while in freeze-etch preparations of controls these values were 55 and 0 respectively. In addition, rouleaux formation was markedly enhanced in the preparations of blood of patients with the painful bruising syndrome.


Gonadotrophic hormones and testicular descent. The effect of fetal decapitation on gubernacular development and testicular descent was studied in the pig. Gubernacular development was unaffected and testicular descent occurred normally in decapitated fetuses. Neither testicular descent nor gubernacular development could be induced by HCG or LH-RH, administered to naturally unilateral cryptorchid prepuberal pigs in doses comparable to those used in human therapy. Gubernacular development and, subsequently, testicular descent seem to be independent of gonadotrophic stimulation.


Relationship between sperm concentration and polyspermy in intact and zona-free mouse eggs inseminated in vitro. Intact and zona-free mouse eggs were cultured with preincubated (capacitated) spermatozoa for 1 or 4 hr. High proportions of eggs (84%--100%), examined either 1 or 4 hr after insemination, were undergoing fertilization in the intact and zona-free eggs in sperm concentration from 25--800 X 10(3) sperm/ml. The average number of spermatozoa attached to the zona pellucida and to the vitellus was only slightly increased as the sperm concentration increased. Polyspermy was increased from 25--200 X 10(3) sperm/ml but there was no clear correlation between the incidence of polyspermy and further increase of sperm concentration in both the intact and zona-free eggs. Besides a functional zona reaction, there was a definite vitelline block to further sperm entry. It seems that due to the chance collision of sperm and egg with the subsequent formation of a block mechanism in the zona pellucida and in the vitelline membrane within a short time, polyspermy cannot be increased by further increase of sperm concentrations.


Effects of chronic administration of delta8- and delta9-tetrahydro-cannabinol on hepatic tyrosine aminotransferase activity in mice. The effects of delta8-THC and delta9-THC administered twice weekly for 8 and 12 weeks at doses of 3, 10, and 30 mg/kg on murine hepatic tyrosine aminotransferase activity are described. These data suggest that treatment with relatively low doses of cannabinoids over long periods of time appear to produce some type of biochemical "tolerance," resulting in a diminished response, in contrast to previously reported data utilizing high doses of delta8-THC and delta9-THC over short experimental time periods.


Diflunisal renal clearance in anesthetized dogs: effect of probenecid, urine flow, and urine pH. Using conventional clearance technique, the net renal clearance of diflunisal is very low, about 1% of glomerular filtration rate. Although net renal secretion is not demonstrable, probenecid significantly decreased renal clearance of the drug. Also, the renal clearance was increased by increases in urine flow or urinary pH. However, in contrast to acetylsalicylic acid, these effects would be expected to be minor, on the one hand to conserve drug or on the other hand in facilitating drug elimination in cases of overdosage.


"Acute chest syndrome" in adults with sickle cell anemia. Microbiology, treatment, and prevention. Fifty-two episodes of fever, chest pain, increased leukocytosis, and pulmonary infiltrate ("acute chest syndrome") were studied in 28 adults with sickle cell anemia. Possible bacterial pathogens were identified in sputum cultures from less than half of the episodes; no pneumococci were found, and Staphylocococcus aureus was the only bacterium associated with a longer illness than that seen when only normal flora were recovered. Much disease diagnosed as "pneumonia" in adults with sickle cell anemia is probably pulmonary infarction. Many of these patients will recover with no more than modest supportive care; if antibiotics are used they should be directed against S aureus (and possibly Hemophilus species). Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine has great potential for preventing life-threatening infection in children with sickle cell anemia, but may not change the incidence or severity of the acute chest syndrome in adults.


Characteristics of a cholera phage.

Characteristics of a cholera phage. The basic physical, chemical and physiological properties of a group II cholera phage belonging to Mukerjee's classification has been described.