Metal substitutions at the diiron sites of hemerythrin and myohemerythrin: contributions of divalent metals to stability of a four-helix bundle protein. A general method is described for substitution of Mn(II) and Co(II) into the diiron sites of hemerythrin and myohemerythrin. Characterizations of these metal-substituted proteins show that their structures closely resemble those of the native proteins. In particular, the four-helix bundle structure appears to be maintained. The apomyohemerythrin retains most of the native helix content but is considerably less stable to denaturation than are the metal-containing proteins. The relative affinities of M(II) for apohemerythrin--namely, Co greater than Fe greater than Mn--parallel the stabilities of the M2myohemerythrins to denaturation by guanidinium chloride. These results indicate that for myohemerythrin (i) the majority of the helical structure found in the native protein does not require incorporation of M(II) and (ii) stabilization of the native structure relative to the fully unfolded structure appears to be due predominantly to M(II)-protein interactions, at least for M = Fe and Co. Incorporation of M(II) also generates unfolding cooperativity in myohemerythrin. This cooperativity can be attributed to interhelical interactions, which are prevented in the apoprotein by solvation of the seven metal ligand residues. The results are consistent with a minimal model for folding/unfolding of myohemerythrin and hemerythrin subunits consisting of the sequential equilibria, N in equilibrium with I in equilibrium with D, between native, intermediate, and fully unfolded states, respectively. The properties of apomyohemerythrin make it a candidate for the intermediate state, I.


Diversity among tight junctions in rat kidney: glomerular slit diaphragms and endothelial junctions express only one isoform of the tight junction protein ZO-1. ZO-1 is a 225-kDa peripheral membrane protein present in all tight junctions. It was recently shown to consist of two isoforms that differ in the presence of an internal 80-amino acid domain termed motif-alpha. To obtain information on their distribution and potential functional significance we have localized the two isoforms in rat kidney by using antibodies that recognize either both ZO-1 isoforms or the larger, motif-alpha-containing isoform. By immunofluorescence, staining with both antibodies was demonstrated at all tight junctions of tubular epithelial cells and the epithelial cells of Bowman's capsule. In contrast, the motif-alpha-containing isoform was absent from the slit diaphragms of the glomerular epithelium and the tight junctions of glomerular and peritubular capillary endothelial cells. This restricted isoform expression was confirmed by immunoblot analysis comparing proteins from purified glomeruli with those from kidney cortex or medulla. Thus, while both isoforms are expressed in typical epithelial tight junctions, only a single isoform, lacking motif-alpha, is expressed in the highly specialized slit diaphragms, where the intercellular spaces are normally open, and in endothelial junctions, which are readily opened by physiologic signals. The differential expression of ZO-1 isoforms in structurally and functionally distinct junctions in the kidney suggests that they may contribute to defining the variable functional properties, in particular the lability of these intercellular junctions.


dOct2, a Drosophila Oct transcription factor that functions in yeast. Oct factors are members of the POU family of transcription factors that are shown to play important roles during development in mammals. Here we report the cDNA cloning and expression of a Drosophila Oct transcription factor. Whole mount in situ hybridization experiments revealed that the spatial expression patterns of this gene during embryonic development have not yet been observed for any other gene. In early embryogenesis, its transcripts are transiently expressed as a wide uniform band from 20% to 40% of the egg length, very similar to that of gap genes. This pattern progressively resolves into a series of narrower stripes followed by expression in 14 stripes. Subsequently, transcripts from this gene are expressed in the central nervous system and the brain. When expressed in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, this Drosophila factor functions as a strong, octamer-dependent activator of transcription. Our data strongly suggest possible functions for the Oct factor in pattern formation in Drosophila that might transcend the boundaries of genetically defined segmentation genes.


A family of erythrocyte binding proteins of malaria parasites. Malaria erythrocyte binding proteins use the Duffy blood group antigen (Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium knowlesi) and sialic acid (Plasmodium falciparum) on the erythrocyte surface as receptors. We had previously cloned the one P. vivax gene, the one P. falciparum gene, and part of one of the three P. knowlesi genes encoding these erythrocyte binding proteins and described the homology between the P. knowlesi and P. vivax genes. We have completed the cloning and sequencing of the three P. knowlesi genes and identified introns in the P. vivax and P. falciparum genes that correct the previously published deduced amino acid sequences. All have similar structures, with one or two exons encoding the signal sequence and the erythrocyte binding domain, an exon encoding the transmembrane domain, and two exons encoding the cytoplasmic domain with the exception of the P. knowlesi beta gene. The regions of amino acid sequence homology among all the genes are the 5' and 3' cysteine-rich regions of the erythrocyte binding domain. On the basis of gene structure and amino acid homology, we propose that the Duffy binding proteins and the sialic acid binding protein are members of a gene family. The level of conservation (approximately 70%) of the deduced amino acid sequences in the 5' cysteine-rich region between the P. vivax protein and the three P. knowlesi proteins is as great as between the three P. knowlesi proteins themselves; the P. knowlesi beta protein just 3' to this cysteine-rich region is homologous to the P. vivax protein but not to the other P. knowlesi proteins. Conservation of amino acid sequences among these organisms, separated in evolution, may indicate the regions where the adhesin function resides.


Disruption of circadian regulation by brain grafts that overexpress Alzheimer beta/A4 amyloid. Alzheimer disease patients exhibit irregularities in the patterns of normally circadian (daily) rhythms. Alzheimer-type pathology has been reported in the hypothalamus and in the suprachiasmatic nuclei, the putative site of the circadian oscillator. We examined the relationship between the neuropathology of Alzheimer disease, as modeled by an animal system, and circadian dysregulation by grafting genetically transformed cells that overexpress beta/A4 amyloid into the suprachiasmatic nuclei of adult rats. Grafts of beta/A4-positive cells, but not of control cells, significantly altered the pattern of activity of implanted rats. Although experimental conditions included light-dark cycles that normally tend to drive rats to 24-h rhythms, animals with grafts of beta/A4-positive cells showed abnormally high levels of activity during the light phase in addition to a disrupted circadian pattern. Periodogram analysis demonstrated significant rhythms outside of a circadian range. The body temperature rhythm of these animals was also weak 6 weeks after grafting; however, unlike activity patterns, body temperature regained a circadian period by 8 weeks after cell implantation. These data indicate that disruption of circadian activity is a behavioral measure of the consequences of beta/A4 accumulation in brain implants.


Potentiation of DNA adduct formation in HL-60 cells by combinations of benzene metabolites. Using P1 nuclease enhanced 32P postlabeling, we investigated DNA adduct formation in HL-60 promyelocytic leukemia cells treated with the benzene metabolites hydroquinone, catechol, and 1,2,4-benzenetriol. Comparison of the slopes of the dose-response curves showed that hydroquinone was 7-9 times more effective than 1,2,4,-benzenetriol and catechol at inducing DNA adducts. Comparison of hydroquinone with catechol showed a good correlation between adduct formation and cytotoxicity. Similar comparisons of hydroquinone and 1,2,4,-benzenetriol suggest that cellular processes in addition to DNA adduct formation contributed to cytotoxicity. In cells treated with the combination of hydroquinone and either catechol or 1,2,4,-benzenetriol, DNA adduct formation was 3-6 times greater than the sum of adduct formation produced by single-agent treatments. Treatment with hydroquinone and 1,2,4,-benzenetriol produced DNA adducts not detected after treatment with either metabolite alone. The synergistic interaction of benzene metabolites in the production of DNA adducts may play an important role in the genotoxic effects of benzene in vivo.


Relation between the convergence temperatures Th* and Ts* in protein unfolding. A challenge in understanding the thermodynamics of protein unfolding is to explain the 1979 puzzle posed by Privalov. Why do values of the specific enthalpy and specific entropy of unfolding both converge to common values at approximately the same temperature (Th* approximately equal to Ts*) when extrapolated linearly versus temperature? In 1986, a liquid hydrocarbon model gave an explanation for convergence of the specific entropies at Ts*: it happens because the contribution of the hydrophobic effect to the entropy of unfolding goes to zero at Ts*. The reason for convergence of the specific enthalpies at Th* and for the equality Th* approximately equal to Ts* has remained, however, a matter for speculation; recently, some explanations have been given that are based on models for polar interactions in protein folding. We show here that the relation Th* approximately equal to Ts* can be derived straightforwardly without making any assumptions either about polar interactions or about splitting the hydrophobic interaction into two terms--one for the "hydrophobic hydration" and the other for the residual effect, as suggested recently. Thus, the liquid hydrocarbon model explains both halves of Privalov's puzzle. A similar conclusion has been reached independently by A. Doig and D. H. Williams (personal communication). It has been proposed recently that a correction should be made for the relative sizes of a hydrocarbon solute and water when computing the thermodynamic properties of the hydrophobic interaction from a solvent transfer experiment. This correction affects the temperature at which the entropy of transfer equals zero, and it is important to evaluate its effect on the convergence temperature Ts*. We show that making the size correction does not change the conclusion, reached earlier, that the liquid hydrocarbon model explains the convergence of the specific entropies of protein unfolding.


Marked reduction of high density lipoprotein cholesterol in mice genetically modified to lack apolipoprotein A-I. Atherosclerosis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in developed countries. In humans the risk of atherosclerosis is inversely correlated with plasma levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL). As a step in determining whether the experimental reduction of plasma HDL level will increase susceptibility to atherosclerosis, we have used gene targeting in embryonic stem cells to produce mice lacking apolipoprotein A-I, the major protein component of HDL particles. Mice homozygous for the disrupted gene have no plasma apolipoprotein A-I detectable by double immunodiffusion; their total plasma cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol levels after overnight fasting are reduced to about one-third and one-fifth of normal levels, and they are grossly deficient in alpha-migrating HDL particles.


Structural requirements for RNA editing in hepatitis delta virus: evidence for a uridine-to-cytidine editing mechanism. Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) nucleotide 1012 is edited from uridine to cytidine in 10-40% of the RNA genomes during replication. This editing event is an important control point in the HDV life cycle because it results in both the packaging of viral RNA and the inhibition of HDV replication. We find that the editing event is highly specific for both the sequences neighboring nucleotide 1012 and the base-paired context of position 1012 within the unbranched rod structure of HDV RNA. Prior studies identified the base transition at nucleotide 1012 but were unable to distinguish between editing of the genomic versus the antigenomic strands [Luo, G. X., Chao, M., Hsieh, S. Y., Sureau, C., Nishikura, K. & Taylor, J. (1990) J. Virol. 64, 1021-1027]. In this study, comparisons of mutations that differentiate between base pairing in genomic and antigenomic RNAs indicate that the genomic strand of HDV is the actual editing substrate. We conclude that the virus uses a uridine to cytidine editing mechanism, which is provided by the host cell.


Structure of a human monoclonal antibody Fab fragment against gp41 of human immunodeficiency virus type 1. The three-dimensional structure of a human monoclonal antibody (Fab), which binds specifically to a major epitope of the transmembrane protein gp41 of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1, has been determined by crystallographic methods to a resolution of 2.7 A. It has been previously determined that this antibody recognizes the epitope SGKLICTTAVPWNAS, belongs to the subclass IgG1 (kappa), and exhibits antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. The quaternary structure of the Fab is in an extended conformation with an elbow bend angle between the constant and variable domains of 175 degrees. Structurally, four of the hypervariable loops can be classified according to previously recognized canonical structures. The third hypervariable loops of the heavy (H3) and light chain (L3) are structurally distinct. Hypervariable loop H3, residues 102H-109H, is unusually extended from the surface. The complementarity-determining region forms a hydrophobic binding pocket that is created primarily from hypervariable loops L3, H3, and H2.


The 3' untranslated region of localized maternal messages contains a conserved motif involved in mRNA localization. Messenger RNA (mRNA) localization is emerging as a means of regulating gene expression. This process is operational in fly and frog development, where a subset of maternally inherited RNAs are asymmetrically distributed and thought to impart axial polarity to the embryo. Since most maternal mRNAs are uniformly distributed, an apparatus must exist to recognize and specifically transport these rare localized species. Here I report the identification of a nine-nucleotide motif, YUGUUYCUG, common to the 3' untranslated regions of four sequenced messages of this class: Drosophila bicoid and nanos mRNAs and Xenopus An2 and Vg1 mRNAs. To test the role of this nonamer sequence in the localization process, a Drosophila transient assay has been established. The assay reveals that bicoid mRNA specifically lacking this nonamer is partially mislocalized. In contrast, nonamer deletion is inconsequential to message stability. The existence of specific and general mRNA localization signals is proposed and it is suggested that this conserved motif belongs to the latter category.


Classical conditioning and protein kinase C activation regulate the same single potassium channel in Hermissenda crassicornis photoreceptors. The patch-clamp technique was used to study the effects of classical conditioning and protein kinase C (PKC) activation on K+ channels of identified neurons in the snail Hermissenda crassicornis. Here we present evidence that classical conditioning and PKC activation similarly modify the same K+ channel. K+ channels were recorded in cells from animals with different training experience. The 64-pS K+ channel appeared with significantly lower frequency in the conditioned group compared to the frequencies in control animals (naive and unpaired). In addition, when present, the 64-pS channel exhibited a lower percentage of open time and an increased interval between opening bursts in cells from conditioned animals. The 42-pS K+ channel was observed with about the same frequency in all three groups, and its percentage of open time was invariant, regardless of the animal's experience. Incubation of the photoreceptor with the PKC activator phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu) led to a profound decrease in the percentage of open time of the 64-pS K+ channel, from 35.7% in the control group to 2.5% in the PDBu-treated group. The inactive phorbol 4 alpha-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate had no effect. The use of the PKC inhibitor H-7 significantly blocked the phorbol effect. Inside-out patches obtained from phorbol preincubated cells likewise showed the same effect of PDBu on K+ channels, but the effect was not observed when phorbol was added after the cell-free patches were obtained from nontreated cells. By contrast, the percentage of open time of the 42-pS K+ channel remained unchanged after phorbol treatment.


Sexual orientation and the size of the anterior commissure in the human brain. The anterior commissure, a fiber tract that is larger in its midsagittal area in women than in men, was examined in 90 postmortem brains from homosexual men, heterosexual men, and heterosexual women. The midsagittal plane of the anterior commissure in homosexual men was 18% larger than in heterosexual women and 34% larger than in heterosexual men. This anatomical difference, which correlates with gender and sexual orientation, may, in part, underlie differences in cognitive function and cerebral lateralization among homosexual men, heterosexual men, and heterosexual women. Moreover, this finding of a difference in a structure not known to be related to reproductive functions supports the hypothesis that factors operating early in development differentiate sexually dimorphic structures and functions of the brain, including the anterior commissure and sexual orientation, in a global fashion.


Conformation for a beta-cyclodextrin monosubstituted with a cyclic dipeptide. The structural characterization of a beta-cyclodextrin monosubstituted with the peptide cyclo(L-His-L-Leu) is reported. This work provides an x-ray example of a covalently bound group that folds in such a way that the terminal apolar side chain is retained in the hydrophobic interior of the cone-shaped cyclodextrin cavity. 6-Deoxy-6-cyclo(L-histidyl-L-leucyl)-beta-cyclodextrin crystallizes in the space group P1 with cell dimensions a = 14.728(8) A, b = 15.084(7) A, c = 18.182(10) A, alpha = 94.36(6) degrees, beta = 95.81(5) degrees, gamma = 116.08(9) degrees; overall isotropic agreement R = 10.6% for 5703 observed reflections (Fo greater than 3 sigma). The molecular structure consists of two independent molecules with the formula C54H86N4O36.7.25H2O. Each molecule assumes a "sleeping swan"-like overall shape with the hydrophobic leucine side chain inserted inside the cavity of the macrocycle. The two independent units give rise to a head-to-tail dimer linked by hydrogen bonds occurring between primary and secondary hydroxyl groups of the two monomers. The packing of the dimers produces cavities containing water molecules. There are infinite hydrophilic channels running in the crystal, which is similar to what is found in the structures of cyclic peptides.


Dynamic NMR spectral analysis and protein folding: identification of a highly populated folding intermediate of rat intestinal fatty acid-binding protein by 19F NMR. The folding of intestinal fatty-acid binding protein has been monitored by 19F NMR after incorporation of 6-fluorotryptophan into the protein. The two resonances resulting from the two tryptophans of this protein showed different dependencies on denaturant concentration. One of the resonances was in slow chemical exchange between two resonance frequencies, native and completely unfolded. The changes for this resonance occurred over a denaturant concentration range identical to that monitored by circular dichroism or fluorescence during unfolding. The other resonance continued to show changes at concentrations of denaturant well above that needed to complete the unfolding transition as monitored by optical techniques. Site directed mutagenesis showed that tryptophan-82 was the residue responsible for the unexpected behavior. We conclude, based on complete line-shape analysis, that there are significant concentrations of one or more intermediates in equilibrium with the native and unfolded forms. The structure of the intermediate(s) is more similar to the completely unfolded form of the protein than to the native structure, since little if any secondary structure is present. Further, these structure(s) persist at high denaturant concentrations and may represent local initiating sites in the folding of this beta-sheet protein.


Distinct processes mediate glycoprotein and glycopeptide export from the endoplasmic reticulum in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Protein and peptide export from the Saccharomyces cerevisiae endoplasmic reticulum was examined in vitro using the secretory protein pro-alpha-factor and a synthetic tripeptide containing the acceptor site for N-linked glycosylation as substrates. The release of both glycosylated pro-alpha-factor and glycotripeptide from the endoplasmic reticulum was dependent on cytosol, temperature, and ATP. Antibodies against two proteins essential for the formation of transport vesicles, Sec23p and p105, inhibited glyco-pro-alpha-factor exit from the endoplasmic reticulum but did not affect the release of the glycosylated tripeptide. Furthermore, in contrast to pro-alpha-factor, the exported glycopeptide was not associated with a membrane fraction and did not acquire Golgi-specific alpha(1-6)-linked mannose residues. We conclude that the glycosylated tripeptide leaves the yeast endoplasmic reticulum by a route different from the secretory pathway, possibly through an ATP-driven pump.


Steroid 21-hydroxylase deficiency: three additional mutated alleles and establishment of phenotype-genotype relationships of common mutations. Lesions in the gene encoding steroid 21-hydroxylase [steroid hydrogen-donor: oxygen oxidoreductase (21-hydroxylating), EC 1.14.99.10] result in defective adrenal steroid synthesis; the severe forms are known as congenital adrenal hyperplasia. To facilitate complete characterization of mutations in this region of tandemly repeated genes, we have developed selective PCR amplification and direct sequencing of full-length nonpseudogene steroid 21-hydroxylase genes. This technique identifies known mutations, characterizes or excludes unknown mutations, and determines the gene-copy number. Three additional defective alleles were found. A Gly-292----Ser mutation and a frameshift mutation at Arg-484 (GG----C) were identified in patients with severe steroid 21-hydroxylase deficiency. An allele with three additional sequence variations--C----T at 4 bases upstream of translation initiation, Pro-106----Leu, and Pro-454----Ser--were identified in two siblings with late-onset deficiency. Pro-454 is conserved in four species, indicating its importance for normal enzyme function. Functional consequences of individual alleles have been determined in vivo by studying individuals with only one steroid 21-hydroxylase gene. Detailed analyses of clinical data revealed that genotyping could predict the clinical course of the disease. The locations of disease-causing mutations on different haplotypes of the steroid 21-hydroxylase gene region are described.


Brefeldin A affects early events but does not affect late events along the exocytic pathway in pancreatic acinar cells. Brefeldin A (BFA) blocks protein export from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to Golgi complex and causes dismantling of the Golgi complex with relocation of resident Golgi proteins to the ER in some cultured cells. It is not known whether later steps in the secretory process are affected. We previously have shown that in BFA-treated rat pancreatic lobules, there is no detectable relocation of Golgi proteins to the ER and, although Golgi cisternae are rapidly dismantled, clusters of small smooth vesicles consisting of both bona fide Golgi remnants and associated vesicular carriers persist even with prolonged BFA exposure. We now report the effects of BFA on transport of proteins through the secretory pathway in exocrine pancreatic cells; we pulse-labeled pancreatic lobules with [35S]methionine and then chased for various times before adding BFA. When BFA was added at pulse, treated lobules released less than 10% of radioactive protein in comparison with controls, regardless of whether or not the lobule cultures were stimulated with carbamoylcholine. However, when lobules were pulsed and then chased for 30, 45, or 60 min before BFA addition, the amount of labeled protein released was comparable in both BFA-treated and untreated cultures. Furthermore, the kinetics and amounts of basal and carbamoylcholine-stimulated release of unlabeled alpha-amylase from storage in zymogen granules were similar in both control and BFA-treated lobules. Therefore, in the rat pancreas, BFA blocks ER to Golgi transport but does not affect later stages along the secretory pathway, including intra-Golgi transport, exit from the Golgi complex, formation and concentration of secretory granules, and exocytosis.


Phorbol ester-induced amino-terminal phosphorylation of human JUN but not JUNB regulates transcriptional activation. Phorbol ester tumor promoters activate gene transcription by regulating both the synthesis and posttranslational modification of the activator protein 1 (AP-1) transcription factor, c-Jun and JunB are components of the mammalian AP-1 complex. Here we demonstrate that in U-937 human leukemic cells, phorbol esters stimulate the phosphorylation of the amino terminus of human c-Jun (JUN) but not human JunB (JUNB). Mutational analysis indicates that serine-63 and -73, which reside within the putative regulatory domain of JUN, are required for both constitutive and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate-inducible N-terminal JUN phosphorylation. To determine the functional role of this N-terminal phosphorylation, we prepared several chimeric proteins containing the N-terminal 84 amino acids (positions 5-89) of human JUN or murine JUNB fused to the yeast GAL4 DNA-binding domain. This region was found to be sufficient for the phorbol ester-inducible transcriptional activity of JUN, but not JUNB. This induction was abolished by the mutation of serine-63 and -73 to leucine residues. Thus, we propose that phorbol esters enhance the trans-activation potential of JUN, but not JUNB, by the phosphorylation of the N-terminal regulatory domain of JUN.


Delineation of putative mechanisms involved in antibody-mediated clearance of rabies virus from the central nervous system. The in vitro biological activities of several rabies virus-neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) were compared with their ability to prevent a lethal rabies virus encephalomyelitis. The protective activity of a particular mAb in vivo did not correlate with its virus-neutralizing activity in vitro; rather it was related to the mAb's ability to inhibit virus spread from cell to cell and to restrict rabies virus RNA transcription. Since treatment of rabies virus-infected cells with virus-neutralizing mAbs results in an endocytosis of the antibody, we hypothesize that an antibody may exert its inhibitory activity even after uptake by the cell. Post-exposure treatment of rats with a mAb that inhibited both virus spread and virus RNA transcription in vitro resulted in viral clearance from the central nervous system and protected the animals against a lethal rabies virus infection.


Synthetic neural modeling applied to a real-world artifact. We describe the general design, operating principles, and performance of a neurally organized, multiply adaptive device (NOMAD) under control of a nervous system simulated in a computer. The complete system, Darwin IV, is the latest in a series of models based on the theory of neuronal group selection, which postulates that adaptive behavior is the result of selection in somatic time among synaptic populations. The simulated brain of Darwin IV includes visual and motor areas that are connected with NOMAD by telemetry. Under suitable conditions, Darwin IV can be trained to track a light moving in a random path. After such training, it can approach colored blocks and collect them to a home position. Following a series of contacts with such blocks, value signals received through a "snout" that senses conductivity allow it to sort these blocks on the basis of differences in color associated with differences in their conductivity. Darwin IV represents a new approach to synthetic neural modeling (SNM), a technique in which large-scale computer simulations are employed to analyze the interactions among the nervous system, the phenotype, and the environment of a designed organism as behavior develops. Darwin IV retains the advantages of SNM while avoiding the difficulties and pitfalls of attempting to simulate a rich environment in addition to a brain.


Activation of p70s6k is associated with phosphorylation of four clustered sites displaying Ser/Thr-Pro motifs. Partial amino acid sequences were obtained from 22 internal tryptic peptides of rat liver p70s6k (M(r) 70,000 ribosomal protein S6 kinase), 3 of which were found to contain phosphorylated residues. To determine whether these sites were associated with p70s6k activation, the kinase was labeled to high specific activity with 32P(i) in Swiss mouse 3T3 cells. By sequential cleavage with CNBr and endoproteinase Lys-C followed by two-dimensional tryptic peptide analysis, it could be shown that all of the sites were located in a small endoproteinase Lys-C peptide of M(r) 2400. Analysis of the p70s6k protein sequence revealed a single candidate that could represent this peptide. Three tryptic peptides derived from the endoproteinase Lys-C fragment were chosen by a newly described computer program as the most likely candidates to contain the in vivo sites of phosphorylation. Synthetic peptides based on these sequences were phosphorylated either chemically or enzymatically and found to comigrate by two-dimensional thin-layer electrophoresis/chromatography with the four major in vivo labeled tryptic phosphopeptides. Three of the phosphorylation sites in these peptides were equivalent to those sequenced in the rat liver p70s6k. In addition, all four sites display the motif Ser/Thr-Pro, typical of cell cycle-regulated sites, and are clustered in a putative autoinhibitory domain of the enzyme.


[Surgical treatment of post-thrombotic cellulitis. A new method]. The author suggests an original and novel method for the surgical treatment of post-thrombotic hypodermatitis, which involves, in association with the elimination of all long reflux vessels, the incision of the skin along the healthy edge of hypodermatitis. This is followed, after the elimination of short reflux vessels from the sub-fascial compartment, by the taking of pieces of sub-fascial aponeurosis which ensure drainage of the hypodermis. After one year, 7 of 12 patients were apparently totally cured. After 2 years, only 2 patients still had slight signs of hypodermatitis. At the present time, patients are followed up with elastic compression of moderate intensity.


[Ultrastructural characteristics of the venous endothelium in primary varices of the legs]. The author establishes by using TEM a considerable variability of endothelial cell ultrastructure in primary varicose veins. Endothelial cells of varicose veins differ from these in normal ones by deformation of configuration of the cells and of their nucleus accompanied by alterations in other cellular organelles. These changes express the stimulation of the endothelial cell aiming their adaptation to hemodynamic changes ABD combine with destructive intracellular changes as well. Probably, adaptation capacities of endothelial cells are restricted to definite limits in which they can change themselves. Beyond these limits endothelial cells can not compensate and undergo degenerative alterations. The author discusses the possible functional changes of the venous endothelium related to substance transport in the venous wall, to lipid accumulation in the endothelium and to thrombus formation.


[Venous pain, 30 years after the 1st International Congress of Phlebology in Chambéry]. In 1960, the first International Conference of Phlebology, organised at Chambéry by Jean Marmasse under the egis of R. Tournay included only three subjects in its programme, one of which was: "venous pain". What is the status of venous pain thirty years on? Can we compare our current concepts with work from past years? Have we advanced in knowledge and in its clinical and therapeutic applications? All these questions are even more worthy of consideration bearing in mind world-wide increased interest in Phlebology and its even richer future. The Chambéry Conference established a clear pattern with: two basic reports: "pain due to essential varicose veins and to trophic disorders" (C. Huriez, F. Desmons, M. Thoreux) and "pain in phlebitis" (R. Fontaine); three analytical and differential reports "pain due to interlinked arterial and venous disorders" (F. Piulachs), "pain in the lower limbs due to interlinked gynecological and venous disorders" (A. Bret, R. Legros) and "pain due to the association of osteoarticular and rheumatic disorders or of neuralgia in venous disease patients" (J. Forestier); and nine other studies, the following being worthy of particular attention: a very interesting report by R. Tournay: "Pain in venous disorders of the lower limbs related to their treatment"; and two papers: "pain of "cellulite" type and the metameric disposition of the lower limbs in relation to functional disorders of the ovary" (S. Bourgeois), and "exercise pain and rest pain in varicose vein sufferers" (J. Marmasse); three German reports (F. Jaeger, F. Maid-Fischer and D. Gross) on the pathogenesis and mechanisms of venous pain; and the report of M. Comel "epiesthesia and histoangeological correlations". Since that time, venous pain has no longer figured in the same format on the programme of any international conference, nor at meetings of the French Society of Phlebology. Progress has thus occurred insidiously... Mention may be made of the following with regard to essential varicose veins: some progress in knowledge of cramps, phlebalgia and venous paresthesiae; attribution to venous syndromes of "restless legs", which have been such a source of intrigue for the past hundred years, and interest in inflammatory pain of the superficial venous system and of subcutaneous cellular tissue in relation with venous insufficiency, as well as ulcer pain. However, it is in the area of acute deep venous thrombosis that everything has been disrupted. Firstly, with the established certainty that the clinical picture leads to errors in more than 50 p. cent of cases, both by excess and default.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


[The relation between venous stasis and the occurrence of pain]. Venous stasis is a situation encountered commonly in varicose disorders. The potential implications of this decrease in oxygen levels in terms of the status of the cells of the vein were assessed. When endothelial cells are subjected to hypoxia, there is stimulation of the cells which shows itself as increased synthesis of prostaglandins and of PAF (Platelet Activating Factor). The synthesis of these typical mediators of inflammation results from activation by the calcium of phospholipase A2 which releases the arachidonic acid of phospholipids and this increase in intracellular calcium results itself from a fall in efficacy of calcium pumps due to the fall in ATP caused by hypoxia. Thus the fall in oxygen leads to the production of mediators of inflammation which activate leucocytes and result in local micro-inflammation which can be very rapidly eliminated if the circulation is restored but which can also cause irreversible damage to the vein by changes in venous tissue due to activated leucocytes which release proteases and free radicals after having penetrated the intima of the vein. These processes offer an explanation for the histological changes seen in varicose veins and the onset of localised pain during the development of such disease.


[Interpeak components of event-related potentials--comparison between normal and schizophrenic groups]. Event-related potentials (ERPs) during a two-tone discrimination task were recorded in 85 normal subjects and 110 schizophrenic subjects. We divided ERPs into 4 interpeak components. We named them A, A', B and B'. A is the component from the stimulus point to n100 peak. A' is the one from n100 peak to p200 peak. B is the one from p200 peak to n200 peak. B' is the one from n200 peak to p300 peak. Their latency was named Al, A'l, Bl, and B'l respectively. Their amplitude was also named Aa, A'a, Ba and B'a respectively. Bl and A'l of the schizophrenic group were both significantly longer than those of the normal group. B'a of the schizophrenic group was significantly smaller than that of the normal group. Interrelations between interpeak components of the normal group were examined statistically. Regarding latency, a significant negative correlation was seen between Al and A'l, and also between Bl and B'l. Regarding amplitude, a significant positive one was seen between Aa and A'a, and also between Ba and B'a. Interrelations between Al and A'l, Bl and B'l, Aa and A'a, and Ba and B'a of the schizophrenic group were the same as those of the normal group. These negative correlations in latency suggest that n100 peaks and n200 peaks have 'jitter'. A combination of interpeak components is supposed to reflect a higher function of the brain. There was a significant negative correlation between (A + A')l and (B + B')l in the normal group, but there was not a significant one between them in the schizophrenic group. The schizophrenic group is supposed to have a certain abnormality in a higher function of the brain. Our result suggests that we may possibly be able to associate an abnormal focus around p200 peak with some symptoms and signs of schizophrenia.


[Inflammation and subcutaneous calcification of venous origins]. There have been few descriptions up to now of calcifications in chronic venous insufficiency, other than in cases where venous insufficiency is complicated be severe trophic disorders and in particular ulcers. It was therefore felt to be of interest to assess the presence of calcifications in venous insufficiency without trophic disorders. This study was based upon 40 cases recruited in the phlebology out-patient clinic of the Notre Dame de Bon Secours Hospital. Calcifications of the lower limbs were found in 7 patients, either by palpation, routine X-rays or ultrasonography. The etiopathogenic mechanisms of this occurrence not having been elucidated, a number of hypotheses are put forward on the basis of acquired data concerning: the process of formation of ectopic calcifications, changes in subcutaneous tissue, the ultimate consequences of venous stasis and of raised venous pressure, due essentially to anoxia and inflammation. One hypothesis can thus be put forward: that of inflammation. The release of cells and mediators of inflammation, the production of free radicals, causing damage to the cells of connective tissue and to the organic framework (collagen fibres) and changes in the chemical environment could combine to result in the formation of calcifications in subcutaneous tissue. However, inflammation has not been proven to be the primary etiological factor.


[A clinical study on the therapeutic significance of classifying total amnesia]. Eight cases of total amnesia were reported. In common to all the cases, there were the definite histories of characteristic situations charged with depressive and isolated mood, although their modes of social adjustment appeared relatively good respectively. Four of the eight cases presented the clinical course of total amnesia as Yamada et al. had previously pointed out. The other four developed total amnesia in peculiar progress and presented rather involved clinical courses. Examining the clinical courses and psychodynamics, the author has suggested that total amnesia would be able to classify two types, such as "simple course type" and "unstable course type". The important difference between two types is as follows. "Simple course type": There were pressing situations after series of actual pending problems such as debts, troubles with a lover and mismanagement in business. Onset of them were reactive under these environmental situations. They presented calm and stable features during partial amnestic period. As the family relations and the actual environments were improved better, they recalled more parts of their personal histories without any difficulty. "Unstable course type": In these cases, the intrapsychic weakness were more important factors than the actual environmental problems. Unlike "simple course type", whenever they recalled some parts of their personal histories, they presented unstable fluctuating features with confusion. Therefore, they needed intensive therapeutic intervention and concern. Generally speaking, total amnesia can be considered not only as defense for the actual conflicts with a repression mechanism but also as "psychologic suicide" which Abeles et al. have mentioned. In addition, emotionally confused evolution in this type may be regarded as exposure of the intrapsychic weakness itself. By the way, the close relationship between total amnesia and suicide has been mentioned in some papers. In this type of total amnesia, attempted suicides were actually seen. So the author has stressed that the risk of suicide should be impressed in the treatment of total amnesia. Among the previously reported cases of total amnesia, in which the clinical courses can be read, 27 cases are "simple course type" and 22 cases are "unstable course type" according to the author's knowledge. And the number of total amnesia has been increasing with the times. So in future, total amnesia may increase in number. The author has emphasized the therapeutic significance of classifying total amnesia. It is useful for the treatment of total amnesia to recognize "unstable course type", in order to foresee the unstable clinical course.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


[Painful manifestations of the sequelae of phlebitis]. Pain may be absent from the various manifestations making up a post-phlebitis syndrome but when it is present it varies considerably from one patient to another. Thus the very common feeling of heaviness, generally not painful, may be perceived as being painful by certain patients either because of the particular severity of the feeling or because of a low pain threshold in certain cases. Since no method for the objective measurement of pain exists, the assessment of this symptom and of its severity remains highly subjective, most often based upon statements by the patients. However, in practice a distinction can be drawn between the following: Pain related to venous stasis: a simple feeling of heaviness most often but which, in certain patients, may take on a painful connotation. Among such "stasis" pains, particular mention must be made of venous intermittent claudication, a progressive feeling of calf tension during walking which becomes increasingly painful and finally forces the sufferer to stop. This symptom is generally linked to the obstruction of a large collecting vein. Pain accompanying a leg ulcer usually results from secondary infection. Mention may be made of the role of inflammatory lesions developing around the trophic problem and which may encompass nerves, in particular the internal saphenous nerve. Although classical, causalgia type pain is certainly rarer. Demyelinisation of peripheral nerves has been suggested as being at its origin. Once again, the role of inflammatory processes linked to secondary infection appears to be notable. The treatment of pain in a post-phlebitis patient must take the greatest possible account of the pathophysiology of the post-phlebitis syndrome responsible: disinfection of a leg ulcer, treatment of venous stasis by elastic support, or by surgery or sclerosing injections. Sympathectomy has been suggested in causalgia type pain. In fact, this operation has scarcely any indications in post-phlebitis syndrome.


[The efficacy of day care in preventing the readmission of chronic schizophrenic patients]. Prolongation of outpatient treatment period assessed on the basis of outpatient survival rate (SR), etc., was used to evaluate the efficacy of day care (DC) in preventing the readmission of 95 chronic schizophrenic patients with a history of multiple admissions. Before using DC, SR gradually decreased as time since discharge passed, and after 300 weeks had fallen to 26%. After the introduction of DC, on the other hand, although SR decreased up to 230 weeks, from 230 weeks SR is found to plateau so that by 300 weeks it was 51%. In other words, not only was a lower readmission rate observed at the end of 300 weeks after the introduction of DC than before, but it became clear that about 230 weeks (approximately 4.5 years) had become a turning point with respect to prognosis. In addition, the mean duration of outpatient treatment was significantly longer beginning 175 weeks after discharge, after the introduction of DC than before (at 175 weeks, p less than 0.05; at 200 weeks, p less than 0.01, Wilcoxon test). The above demonstrate a readmission preventing effect and an outpatient treatment period prolonging effect of DC. Next, whole 95 patients were divided into a response group and a no-response group depending on whether their outpatient treatment period had been prolonged by DC. The prescribed doses of psychotropic drugs, which were represented by equivalent doses of chlorpromazine and haloperidol, were compared during the outpatient treatment period before and after the introduction of DC in the subjects in the response group, however, at least the possibility that increasing doses of psychotropic drugs as maintenance therapy agents was involved in prolonging the outpatient treatment period was ruled out. Moreover, the 47 patients who were readmitted within 300 weeks after the introduction of DC were divided into a response group and a no-response group, and when the proportions of patients who had to be readmitted during DC were compared, there were more in the no-response group (p less than 0.05, chi 2 test). Many of the cases requiring readmission during DC were intractable, and since there were many such patients in the no-response group, it appeared that the likelihood of belonging to the no-response group meant the simultaneous likelihood of being intractable during DC. Furthermore, when we checked the percentage of the number of DC users among patients who came to the outpatient clinic without being admitted, it was found to plateau at 30% around 170 weeks after discharge.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


[Some examination and requests for "principles of the mental health care" submitted by the United Nations Commissions on Human Rights]. I do appreciate the "PRINCIPLES FOR THE PROTECTION OF PERSONS WITH MENTAL ILLNESS AND FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH CARE" dated 5 February 1991 submitted by the Commission on Human Rights. To make it even more explicit, however, the following paragraphs should be added to two of the Principles: 1. As for Principle 11. 13, the requirement of informed consent by a personal representative should be prescribed in the case of a major medical or surgical procedure for an incompetent patient, in addition to the approval by an independent review body concerning such therapy, for the sake of consistency with Principle 11. 7 with regard to the right of privacy. 2. As for Principle 11. 15, the following three paragraphs should or may be added which have also been prescribed in "Principles for the Human Experiments" by the Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology (1973), for the sake of consistency with Principle 11.7 with regard to the right of privacy and Principle 11.4 providing for the special protection of an incompetent patient: 2. 1 The requirement of informed consent by his/her personal representative should be prescribed in a case of clinical trials or experimental treatment for an incompetent patient. 2. 2 Intrusive and irreversible clinical trials and experimental treatment should never be carried out on a patient who is an involuntary patient in a mental health facility and they may be carried out on any other patient only where an independent external body has satisfied itself that there is genuine informed consent of the patient. 2. 3 It may be better to add the following paragraph: "clinical trials and experimental treatment shall never be carried out on an incompetent patient which are not necessary for the therapy of his/her disease or which are possible on a normal healthy person or a mentally ill patient having the ability to give informed consent."


[Emergencies in child clinical practice? The question of therapeutic analytic consultations]. The author analyses three analytically oriented interviews of a ten year old girl who presented a severe school phobia. These interpretation-oriented consultations helped to partly untangle the intricacies between fantasy life, childhood history and some present events in family life. Thus the symptoms could recede immediately after the consultations. Through this both frequent and illustrative case report, the author discusses the metapsychological and technical aspects concerning the legitimacy and relevance of therapeutic analytically-oriented consultations. This consultation modality can avoid the massive increase of the symptoms and of the attached secondary benefits. It enables us to take into account a certain amount of emergency in child clinical practice.


[Clinical characteristics of pain in chronic venous insufficiency]. Since the report of the 1st International Conference of Phlebology at Chambéry, devoted to venous pain, the subject has scarcely attracted attention apart from the meeting of the Benelux Society of Phlebology devoted to "pain in the legs". Pain due to superficial venous insufficiency has scarcely changed in nature for 30 years and remains one of the major presenting symptoms in phlebology. Acute or chronic, punctate or diffuse, modifications in this functional symptomatology have been accentuated, or have varied in their aspects under the influence of certain fashions or certain habits of modern life, i.e.: sedentary behaviour, underfloor heating, the use of oral contraceptives or of menopausal hormone replacement therapy. However, the distribution of the various aspects of venous pain remains in the same proportions as those described by the authors cited previously. While the etiological diagnosis must essentially eliminate all other causes: arterial, neurological, muscular, articular, it is essential not to neglect deep venous insufficiency of the gemellar veins, often responsible for a wide range of symptomatology and still all too often neglected. The pathogenesis of this pain not only involves the concept of pain receptors but also the appearance of algogenic metabolites at the site of the microcirculatory unit, to which endothelial cells are particularly sensitive during stasis. In fact, pain is the expression of disorders concerning local exchanges, whether thermal, pressure, metabolic or hemorheological. It is the alarm bell of venous insufficiency and merits the attention of the phebologist who must thus undertake active treatment before problems become irreversible.


[Pain in venous thrombosis of the leg].

[Pain in venous thrombosis of the leg]. According to D. Reinharez, pain and edema are the commonest presenting symptoms in phlebology. Pain is one of the most classical symptoms of an ordinary deep venous thrombosis, a valuable feature when present, in the form of deep tension, heaviness, swelling and a feeling of dead weight. It is often absent or slight. It may consist merely of a dull cramp, or of an "undefinable" (C. Bourde) odd, heavy leg. It generally affects the calf but may involve the sole of the foot, the heel, the thigh, the groin or even the true pelvis. This feeling, although "imprecise and variable" (P. Wallois, P. Griton) is highly suggestive. It increases on standing and walking in the form of unilateral uncomfortable tension, heaviness or painful swelling, which maybe a source of worry or even anxiety to the patient. Tenderness on palpation of venous tracts and their stretching is more suggestive. In the opinion of M. Duruble, Neuhof's sign (feeling of tender fullness of the calf) is more reliable than Homans' sign (pain in the calf caused by passive dorsiflexion of the foot, with the lower limb in extension) which essentially stretches only the posterior tibial venous system. The value of Sigg's sign (pain in the popliteal fossa on passive extension of the knee) is controversial. Far more rare is phlegmasia coerulea dolens or Grégoire's blue leg, complicating phlegmasia alba dolens or of sudden onset, with initial very severe or even "intolerable" pain (J.J. Pinot) in Scarpa's triangle, rapidly spreading to the limb. In varicose phlebitis (M. Perrin) or superficial thrombophlebitis or varico-phlebitis (A.A. Ramelet) or superficial venitis (J.P. Henriet), pain most often consists of moderate burning tension overlying the thrombosed vein(s), increased by palpation and mobilisation. Sometimes severe initially, it is exacerbated by the slightest touch. In total, pain, regardless of its characteristics, its site and/or its severity, is one of the most constant clinical features of venous thrombosis. It is a warning sign for the clinician and should lead to emergency request for non-invasive investigations (Doppler-Echo) which will enable confirmation or elimination of the diagnosis.


[A guide for the evaluation of adult-infant dialogue (GEDAN)]. The guide presented in this article has evolved on the basis of the observation of early interactions, at two different levels: microanalytic, on one hand, and macrodescriptive, on the other hand. The sample included 48 dyads from 16 clinical and non-clinical families. Elaborated within a systems approach, this guide considers both the dyadic unit and the individual contributions of the partners; likewise it includes subjective as well as objective data. The procedure involves distinct steps and results in the diagnosis of interaction according to three modes: consensual, conflictual and paradoxical. The instrument itself, the data concerning its validation through microanalysis as well as the instructions are described for the trained observer-reader.


[Painful hypertonia of the calves. The role of the level of arousal apropos of 25 new cases]. Role of the level of alertness. Based upon 25 new cases. The author, after referring to the leg muscle bed syndrome associated with exercise, reports the frequency of painful spasticity of the calves, occurring initially at rest and in particular at night in the form of a restless legs syndrome, then secondarily during the day with varying degrees of persistence at rest and during exercise. This problem frequently has a lateral dominance and appears to be induced by self-maintained functional muscular spasticity of the gastrocnemii and soleus, explained by a study. It is frequently attributed to a venous etiology. This study based upon 25 cases enabled definition of the diagnosis and showed the probable links between EMG hyperactivity and a high level of alertness indicative of a predisposing situation.


[Sexual abuse of underage children: incest and extra-familial abuse]. After defining the concept of sexual abuse and its limitations, the author demonstrates how the confrontation with sexual abuse may provoke counter-transferential movements in staff members and spoil the quality of help programs. The author then outlines the pathogenesis of the concept and describes clinical signs, acute or chronic, presented by the abused child. He then discusses the diagnostic process according to diverse disclosure situations (by the child him/herself, parent-witness, etc.). Reliability of the revelations are then discussed. Two important parts of this paper deal with intervention methods: first, the crisis intervention, focused on collecting information, support to the suffering persons, active protection of the child and possible collaboration with judiciary authorities; cure intervention: social help to the family, speech groups, role of punishment, etc.


[Psychic trauma in catastrophes. Views and reviews]. A review of literature on the subject reveals a great diversity of views but can nevertheless serve as a guideline for concrete interventions. A recent survey of the psychological state of the traumatised armenian population serves as a background for the theorisation of the trauma. Under the shock, the splitting of the ego and of the primitive self leads to a contradictory symptomatology. The ego level is mainly caracterised by repetition whereas the reactivation of the primitive self leads to avoidance of contact. Confusional states result from the gap between these two instances. Priority is given to group therapy when the ego fails to play its part. When the ego is reestablished, but must face certain losses, among which the loss of its own continuity, individual therapy is at place. Understanding the psychic trauma leads to a model of change.


[The role of microrhythms and macrorhythms in the emergence of thought in the infant]. Cathexis of time and even more of waiting is considered critical for the development of thought, as S. Freud himself often pointed out. The author discusses the means available to the infant for growing out of the hallucinatory perceptual system and coming to a representational activity which implies a capacity to tolerate the frustration provoked by the waiting. Two distinct interactive processes play a role in the appearance of thought: on one part the macrorythms of repetition involving the interaction partners, mainly in their care-giving activities; on the other part the microrythms with their discontinued rhythms, unsatisfied waiting involving the partners in short sequences, mainly in play activities. The author tentatively demonstrates on the basis of clinical examples and various sources that these seemingly opposed moments give a structure to a unique element of the dyad: the interactive rythm. Rythm is a condition of the capacity to wait and thus of the capacity to think.


[In pursuit of an object].

[In pursuit of an object]. The author proposes an extension of the transitional phenomenon concept. Beginning with Winnicott's well known description, the author reviews the successive transformations of transitional space, first materialized and then increasingly "intrapsychic" and which persists in the individual all life long in various forms. Transformations go from the gross blanket to a more figurative little bear, then to play activities, creative drawing of the child, and finally to hypotheses and theories. This progressive hold on the object involves the mediation of transitional space--first found then created--and is instrumented through age-specific different means: concrete handling; certain characteristics of baby-talk such as voice intonation, use of the past tense before playing and the conditional in playing; redundancies, parentheses and abstractions. In the course of this paper, the author gives his personal view on the subtle differences between figuration and representation, and on the relationship between abstraction and aesthetical feeling.


Multivantaged assessment of depression in schizophrenia. While it is recognized that depression frequently can occur together with fundamental symptoms of schizophrenia, estimates of the prevalence of schizophrenia-related depression have been very variable. This variability may be due in part to the difficulty in clearly separating depressive symptoms from negative symptoms. A more valid method of assessing depression might combine evaluations from multiple vantage points. This study, which involved 26 hospitalized schizophrenic patients, tested the proposition that complete assessment of depression requires three separate sources of input: self-rating (subjective mood state), clinician rating (affective state), and observer rating (behavioral manifestations). In the present study, patients were evaluated on self-rating instruments for mood states, clinician-rated scales including the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, and observer-rated scales. These vantage points, though overlapping in some respects, were found to provide independent information on the experience of depression in schizophrenia. Clinician-rated and observer-rated assessments tended to correlate significantly, while self-rated subjective reports were discordant, thus complementing the assessments from the other two vantage points.


Subsyndromes in chronic schizophrenia: do their psychopathological characteristics correspond to cerebral alterations? This article examines the relationship between psychopathological subsyndromes in schizophrenia and cerebral alterations. A factor analysis of the psychopathological characteristics of 50 DSM-III schizophrenic patients revealed four subsyndromes. On the basis of these subsyndromes, four corresponding clusters of patients--remitted, chronic delusional, chronic asthenic, and chronic disorganized--were identified. These clusters were then compared with respect to negative symptoms, treatment response, neurological soft signs (NSS), and computed tomographic findings, such as the ventricle-brain ratio (VBR), using a discriminant analysis. The first discriminant function consisted of negative symptoms and significantly differentiated the remitted cluster from the three chronic clusters. Within the chronic clusters, the disorganized cluster was clearly identified by the second discriminant function (VBR and NSS). The third function (width of the interhemispheric fissure) provided only a tentative differentiation between the chronic delusional cluster and the chronic asthenic cluster. Although the subsyndromes of chronic schizophrenia share negative symptoms as a common feature, they appear to differ somewhat with regard to their morphological sites. These findings indicate that negative symptoms may arise from different psychopathological states and corroborate the existence of three subsyndromes in chronic schizophrenia.


Disruption of social circadian rhythms in major depression: a preliminary report. While dysregulations of physiological circadian rhythms are common findings in depression and have been posited to be involved in the mediation of depressive episodes, only recently has the role of social circadian rhythms in the pathogenesis of depression been a focus of interest. The Social Rhythm Metric (SRM), designed to describe the regularity of a human subject's social circadian rhythms, was used in this study to compare the social rhythms of depressed patients with those of normal controls and to determine the relationship between SRM scores and depression severity. Depressed patients' SRM scores were significantly lower than those of normal controls. The SRM negatively correlated with scores on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. Overall social activity was negatively correlated with a Hamilton item, social activity impairment. The results of this preliminary study support the hypothesis that social zeitgebers are disrupted in major depression.


Facial emotion discrimination: I. Task construction and behavioral findings in normal subjects. Facial discrimination tasks (age, happy-neutral, and sad-neutral) were developed to address the need for activation tasks that engage emotional processing and can be used during physiologic neuroimaging ("neurobehavioral probes"). The stimuli pictured professional actors and actresses who had been screened for asymmetric features. In experiment I, same-sex stimuli were used to examine the performance of normal subjects (24 men, 15 women) on the three tasks. Performance was better during the emotion-discrimination tasks than during the age-discrimination task, and males had higher sensitivity scores for the detection of sad emotion. However, experiment II showed that the sex of the stimulus interacts with the sex of the subject. Compared with female subjects, male subjects (n = 10) were selectively less sensitive to sad emotion in female faces. Female subjects (n = 10) were more sensitive overall to emotional expression in male faces than in female faces. Thus, men and women differed in performance depending on the sex of the facial stimulus.


Facial emotion discrimination: II. Behavioral findings in depression. The facial discrimination tasks described in part I (Erwin et al., 1992) were administered to a sample of 14 patients with depression and 14 normal controls matched for sex (12 women, 2 men) and balanced for age and sociodemographic characteristics. Patients performed more poorly on measures of sensitivity for happy discrimination and specificity for sad discrimination, and had a higher negative bias across tasks. Severity of negative affect was correlated with poorer performance for patients. The results suggest that depression is associated with an impaired ability to recognize facial displays of emotion.


Facial emotion discrimination: III. Behavioral findings in schizophrenia. Emotional discrimination was studied in patients with schizophrenia (n = 20) and matched controls. Performance of the emotion-discrimination tasks in the schizophrenic patients was impaired, relative to their performance of an age-discrimination task. Performance patterns in the patient group could also be reliably distinguished from those of normal controls. The impairment was associated with the severity of both emotional and nonemotional symptoms specific to schizophrenia, but not with the severity of nonspecific symptoms. The deficit associated with schizophrenia is more marked than that reported for depression (Gur et al., 1992), particularly for the emotion-discrimination tasks, and showed no difference between "happy" discrimination and "sad" discrimination. The main difficulty in patients with schizophrenia is the assignment of emotional valence to neutral faces. The magnitude of the deficit underscores the salience of emotional impairment in schizophrenia, and its relation to cognitive dysfunction in this disorder merits further scrutiny.


Obsessive-compulsive characteristics in patients with idiopathic spasmodic torticollis. To explore suggested relationships between involuntary motor disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), we evaluated obsessive-compulsive characteristics in patients with idiopathic spasmodic torticollis (IST). Twenty-two patients with IST had significantly higher scores than 29 age- and sex-matched healthy controls on the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale and the obsessionality subscale of the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised. The IST patients also had higher (though not significantly so) scores on the Maudsley Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory. Their Beck Depression Inventory scores were likewise higher than those of controls. These results provide additional support for the theory of a link between basal ganglia disorders and psychiatric disorders.


Neurocognitive impairment in dramatic personalities: histrionic, narcissistic, borderline, and antisocial disorders. Thirty-seven patients with personalities in the dramatic cluster (DSM-III-R histrionic, narcissistic, borderline, and antisocial) and 40 controls matched for age and gender were evaluated on 16 neurocognitive variables. The evaluation screened for deficits in functions of attention, memory, language, abstraction, and behavior planning/sequencing. Analysis of variance revealed significant deficits in neurocognitive performance among patients with dramatic personalities, particularly in subtests requiring multi-step, multi-element associative operations.


Psychologists' views of a patient's religiousness. 500 psychologists were mailed clinical vignettes and a questionnaire regarding a prospective patient seeking to adopt a child. The vignettes were equivalent except for a paragraph stating the patient's religious beliefs. Analysis showed that neither statements of religiousness nor stability of belief was shown to influence the clinicians' judgements on whether adoption should occur, the probability that they would recommend therapy, or estimate of the patient's adaptive functioning. Psychologists with 13 to 19 years of experience were more likely to recommend therapy than more or less experienced groups, although this finding was not related to religiousness.


Use of direct coping resources in dealing with jealousy. The relationship between combined person and relational variables and use of direct coping behaviors was investigated among 185 undergraduates who currently had dating partners. Individuals with high scores on these sets of variables used significantly more direct coping behaviors than did those with low or intermediate scores.


Drug use among university undergraduate students. A sample of 457 undergraduate university students were surveyed to assess their current use of illicit drugs. Such information is to be used as a baseline to examine the effectiveness of drug prevention programs designed for this population. Marijuana was the most common illicit drug used among these students, and men were significantly more likely to report use. Age differences were noted; older students (age greater than or equal to 22 yr.) were more likely to report drug use than those students under 22 years of age. The age differences suggest that there may be a shift away from drug use among the younger students. The low over-all rate of drug use may make difficult the evaluation of prevention programs.


Positive associations between anticipatory anxiety and needle pain for subjective but not for physiological measures of anxiety. So far, the association between anxiety and pain has not been studied with measures tapping a physiological dimension of anxiety. Therefore, during a blood extraction procedure, we recorded subjective anxiety, electrodermal activity, heart rate, and intensity of pain. Subjects were 15 patients with panic disorder and 24 healthy subjects. Positive associations between subjective anxiety and pain were found in each group. The physiological activity preceding the venipuncture, however, was not significantly related to the intensity of the pain.


Changes in learning-style preferences: a reply to Ruble and Stout. This note is a reply to Ruble and Stout's 1992 critique of our 1991 study of changes in learning style over time. While some of their comments have merit, the remaining conclusions are that the dimension scores on the Learning Styles Inventory exhibit considerable stability over time and should be analyzed when assessing changes in learning style.


Effects of group membership on perception of risk for AIDS. The role of social identity as a moderator for perception of risk for AIDS has not been examined. The purpose of this study was to examine perception of risk for AIDS as a function of membership in an identified risk group. 34 subjects who were homosexual, 58 intravenous drug users (IV), and 34 college students rated a 21-item list of behaviors for perception of AIDS risk. The findings indicate that the IV drug-use group significantly underestimated five risk behaviors, four of which are high probability behaviors of IV drug-users and two of which are exclusively IV drug-use behaviors. The homosexual group significantly underestimated four risk behaviors, all of which are primarily characteristic of that group. The college group was generally more accurate in assessing risk than either of the other two groups. These findings support the hypothesis that membership in a perceived risk group is related to differential perceptual bias associated with the need for positive social identity for one's group.


Hostility and guilt among Native American students. Buss and Durkee's Hostility-Guilt Inventory was given to 23 white and 23 Native American college students. The Native American subjects scored significantly higher on the Resentment Hostility subscale while the white students scored higher on the Indirect Hostility and Guilt subscales. Implications for research are discussed.


Effects of type of instruction on solution of psychological self-help problems. Information in self-help books is typically presented in one of three formats: didactic information, examples, or practice problems. The present study examined the effects of information format on the solution of personal problems. Four test problems were given to 200 subjects recruited from introductory psychology classes. Each of ten groups received a different type of information immediately prior to solving each test problem. Three of the groups received information in Didactic (D), Example (E), and Practice Problem (P) formats, respectively, while a control group received no information (NI). Six other groups (DD, DE, DP, EE, EP, and PP) received combinations of two sets of information prior to each test problem. The letters that designate each of these groups represent the formats in which the two sets of information were presented. A Ryan-Einot-Gabriel-Welsch multiple-range analysis indicated that groups EE, DP, EP, and DE obtained significantly higher scores than NI. Examples were effective as instructional material when presented with other information and when presented in pairs. Practice problems were effective when combined with other types of information but not when presented with other practice problems.


Self-defeating behavior, depression, and suicidal preoccupation. Scores on a measure of self-defeating personality were associated with depression and suicidal preoccupation in a sample of 58 college students.


Antecedents of narcissism and psychological reactance as indicated by college students' retrospective reports of their parents' behaviors. 49 men and 120 women responded to the Narcissism Personality Inventory, the Hong Psychological Reactance Scale, and a questionnaire regarding parental practices. Men reported that their fathers used spanking more heavily than did women, while women reported more than did men that their mothers provided encouragement toward independence. As compared to mothers on these reports, fathers were less likely to be described as "fair," to use praise, money as rewards, or "grounding," and to have interest in their children's activities, but more likely to be described as "strict." Men (but not women) reported that their fathers had been more likely to administer spankings than were their mothers. Persons who were more narcissistic tended to score higher in reactance and had fathers who used monetary rewards more and encouraged independence to a greater extent. These results are contrary to those expected from Kernberg's and Kohut's views linking narcissism to less nurturance by parents. Higher psychological reactance scores correlated with less praise, more scolding, and more verbal abuse from both parents. Psychological reactance scores also correlated with more spanking by fathers and with their being described as being less fair. These results suggest that punitive disciplinary styles are not related to narcissism but are to psychological reactance.


Unemployment and suicide in Northern Ireland. For Northern Ireland, yearly mean percentages of unemployment and suicide rates (per 100,000 population) for specific age groups and by sex were compared over a 19-year period. Significant results were obtained for only two age groups of males (15-24 yr. and 45-54 yr.) and none for females.


Attitudes towards health, health behaviour, and personality factors among school students very high on empathy. It was hypothesized that school students very high on empathy would have better self-esteem, behave in a healthier manner, and also have more positive attitudes towards health behaviour than the least empathetic ones. Students were from a comprehensive school, from gymnasium, and from vocational school (Ns = 4268, 2205 girls, 2063 boys, aged 14 to 20 yr.). A modified Mehrabian and Epstein Empathy Scale and the Sensitivity scale were given. The Battle Self-esteem Scale, Form AD measured self-esteem and the Osborn and Harris Scale assertiveness. As a narcissism measure we used the modified Emmons Narcissism Scale. Scores were divided into quartiles. The most empathetic students were compared with the least empathetic ones; the former were more assertive, less narcissistic, less self-focussed, and more sensitive. They had more positive attitudes towards health behaviour: they smoked less and used less alcohol than the least empathetic ones. A holistic empathetic trend is seen in thoughts and in behaviour, which works against narcissism. These results confirm that humans need education on empathy in schools to promote mental growth and health behaviour.


Psychosocial characteristics of persons convicted of driving while intoxicated. Psychosocial and sociodemographic characteristics were obtained on a sample of 498 Missouri DWI offenders. The information included problems associated with alcohol use, past treatment, arrest data, stressful life events, depression, and substance abuse. Descriptive results are discussed in terms of theoretical and practical implications.


Predicting behavior of high and low self-monitors: an application of the theory of planned behavior. Using Ajzen's theory of planned behavior, behavior intentions, attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control were assessed for 24 high and for 29 low self-monitors. In addition, behavior (attendance at class lectures) was unobtrusively recorded. Intentions were best predicted by attitudes of the low and by subjective norms of the high self-monitoring groups. Low self-monitors' overt behavior was predicted by intentions, and high self-monitors' behavior by the interaction of intention x perceived behavioral control.


A comparison of mental health of multiple sclerosis patients with silver/mercury dental fillings and those with fillings removed. In this study was compared the mental health status of 47 multiple sclerosis patients with silver/mercury tooth fillings (amalgams) to that of 50 patients with their fillings removed. On the Beck Depression Inventory the multiple sclerosis subjects with amalgams suffered significantly more depression while their scores on the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory indicated the former group also exhibited significantly more anger. On the SCL-90 Revised, subjects with amalgam fillings had significantly more symptoms of depression, hostility, psychotism, and were more obsessive-compulsive than the patients with such fillings removed. On a questionnaire containing 18 mental health symptoms multiple sclerosis subjects with amalgam fillings reported a history of 43% more symptoms than those without amalgam fillings over the past 12 months. These data suggested that the poorer mental health status exhibited by multiple sclerosis subjects with dental amalgam fillings may be associated with mercury toxicity from the amalgam.


Jenkins Type A scores in the relation of stress and premenstrual symptoms. To evaluate the manner in which the Type A scores are associated with the relationship between stress and premenstrual symptoms, 102 college women were administered the College Life Experiences Survey, the Jenkins Activity Survey, and the Premenstrual Assessment Form. An hierarchical regression analysis supported the direct effects hypothesis and indicated that the Type A scores are associated with more reported menstrual symptoms at all levels of stress.


Factor analysis of the Rudie-McGaughran Essential-Reactive questionnaire for VA alcoholic men. In this study factor analysis was used to estimate the validity of the Rudie-McGaughran Essential-Reactive questionnaire. Answers of VA alcoholic men were tape-recorded and scored using the Rudie and McGaughran criteria. Only 2 factors, economic dependence and gastrointestinal symptoms, were validated using factor analysis. Five of the remaining six factors evaluated dimensions of dependence unique to the Essential alcoholic men.


Alcohol effects on behavioral thermoregulation with microwave radiation. Ethanol may play an active role in modifying "set point" levels in conjunction with behavioral thermoregulation. A geometric series of doses of ethanol solutions was administered (ip) prior to fixed-interval 2-min. schedules of microwave reinforcement in rats tested in a cold environment. Four Sprague-Dawley rats were conditioned to regulate their thermal environment with 5-sec. exposures of MW reinforcement. Friedman's nonparametric test showed significant differences between ethanol doses, and Sign tests showed that moderate and high doses of ethanol suppressed operant behavior reinforced by MW radiation. Interactions between changes in "set-point" and discriminative properties of ethanol are discussed.


Hiring practices in dental education: comparison of top-and lower-ranked schools. The ten top-ranked dental schools, as indicated in The Gourman Report, had hired significantly more faculty members from among their own graduates (Mdn=42.5%) than had ten randomly selected lower-ranked dental schools (Mdn=19.6%). However, the proportions of faculty members hired by the ten top-ranked dental schools from graduates of the top-ranked schools other than their own (Mdn=15.9%) were nearly identical to the proportions of faculty members hired by the lower-ranked schools from graduates of the ten top-ranked schools (Mdn=17.2%). Both top-ranked and lower-ranked schools showed wide variations in their tendencies to hire faculty from top-ranked schools. Some variables that might account for these variations in hiring practices are noted.


Attitudes of teenagers who know someone with AIDS. 68 students who reported knowing a person with AIDS were matched with 68 students who did not know anyone with AIDS. Those who knew a person with AIDS showed less anxiety about interacting with someone with AIDS.


Multidimensional health locus of control as partial predictor of serum phosphorus in chronic hemodialysis. The Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale was administered to 137 chronic hemodialysis outpatients in a survey designed to examine the relationship of these scores to serum phosphorus, a laboratory indicator of dietary compliance in end-stage renal disease. In a multiple regression analysis, scores on the Powerful Others Locus of Control subscale accounted for 8.9% of the variance in serum phosphorus. Discussion includes a tentative explanation of the findings and limitations of the design.


Exploration of the relationship between choral singing and successful aging. This paper describes a retirement village community chorus of 49 with the goal of understanding the place of choral activities in the lives of these older people. Group musical activity provides a link to previous satisfying experiences and serves as a preventive measure against alienation. However, the nature of the activity may be consistent with a willingness to give up some inner directedness. Additional research is recommended since the present design with a comparison group of 49 non-choral members did not allow separation of effects of selection from those of activity.


Locus of control orientation of obese adolescent girls and children of alcoholics in outpatient treatment. Obese adolescents and children of alcoholics have been reported to exhibit an external locus of control orientation. Due to the perceived loss of control over personal eating behavior versus limited control over environmental circumstances, it was believed that obese adolescent girls would show greater externality than children of alcoholics. Rotter's I-E Scale was administered to 19 moderately obese adolescent girls and 10 girls who were children of alcoholics in outpatient treatment. While both groups scored within the external range of control orientation, there was no statistically significant difference between the samples. Contrary to prediction, obese adolescent girls and adolescents from alcoholic environments have similar world views on control orientation.


Combat and social support as variables in perceived symptomatology of combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder. This study used an analog approach to the perceptions of tour of duty, combat and noncombat, and levels of social support, high and low. Their influence was assessed in the symptomatology of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. 80 subjects were randomly assigned to read one of four vignettes depicting levels of combat and social support as main effects. Results were congruent with recent research indicating significant main effects for combat and social support in the symptomatology of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.


Validity of the 16 PF-E experimental norms for adults with mental retardation. Validity of the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire Form E (16 PF-E) experimental norms for adults with mental retardation was evaluated by comparing 16 PF-E responses of mentally retarded adults with staff ratings. Three primary scales (i.e., A, C, and G) received tenuous support. No support was found for the remaining 13 primary scales.


Effects of age on ranking for reduction in work force. A laboratory experiment tested the hypothesis that age and written descriptions of performance affected simulated evaluations for reduction in work force. 56 supervisors and managers attending night school reviewed written descriptions of seven individuals' performance. Seven different ages ranging from 25 to 63 years were paired with each individual's performance in a within-subject Latin square design. Each subject rated seven simulated individuals on 10 attributes and made recommendations in the form of comparative rankings for a simulated reduction in force. Chronological age effects on performance rankings were not found. Statistically removing rating components (work performance and sociability) from rankings using an analysis of covariance also yielded no age-related bias but did indicate that the subjects were able to distinguish among performance descriptions. These findings are discussed in relation to the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.


Effects of purpose of appraisal on discriminability and accuracy of ratings. Here we evaluate, replicate, and extend 1982 research by Zedeck and Cascio on the relationship between purpose and characteristics of rating. We propose and test an alternative explanation for the Zedeck and Cascio conclusion that discriminability in ratings is affected by their purpose. Results provide partial support for both explanations. Using a measure of rating accuracy as the criterion, no significant effect of purpose is obtained.


Interpersonal behavior and the structure of dreaming. A three-dimensional model of adult dreaming styles shows a close correspondence with other models representing frameworks of waking experience and interpersonal behavior. These close parallels support the ubiquity of the factors identified by Robert F. Bales in his integrative new field theory and may help to bring the study of dream function more clearly into the realm of personality and social psychology.


Reliability and validity of the Adolescent Family Life Satisfaction Index. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate the Adolescent Family Life Satisfaction Index. The self-report questionnaire was tested for internal consistency reliability. Tests for construct validity, concurrent validity, and internal consistency reliability provided support for the use of the over-all Adolescent Family Life Satisfaction Index, Parental Subscale, and Sibling Subscale for the measurement of adolescents' reports of satisfaction with family life.


[An attempt at a polythetic classification of a group of clean up team workers after the Chernobyl AES accident]. Using the complex statistics methods with due regard for the time lapsed from the moment of exposure to ionizing radiation, multifactors of the accident and the number of studies, the manifestations of the radiation effect (within the dose range from 0.1 to 0.5 Gy) on certain functional systems in a group of Chernobyl A.P.S. accident liquidators.


[Several indices of the peripheral immune system in clean up team workers and patients who survived acute radiation disease 5 years after effects of the radiation accident factors]. A group of liquidators and patients survived acute radiation sickness (ARS) was studied five years after the effect of radiation factors resulted from the Chernobyl A.P.S. disaster. Studied were the number of T-lymphocytes (SD2+, SD3+, SD5+), subpopulations SD16+ and SD25+, the content of SD16+ and SD25+ lymphocytes and B-cells, as well as the levels of serum IgM, A, G; determined was the concentration of serum alpha 1-thymosin. A decrease was noted in the number of T-cells of the examined patients, with respect to all markers studied: the number of SD4+ cells was found decreased in patients with ARS sequelae and normal in liquidators. The decrease in serum alpha 1-thymosin was a function of dose. Dynamics of changes in the T-cells of the examinees may reflect the new trends in the radiation response of T-lymphocytes which were not directly related to initial damages to the latter. The injury to the stroma of the thymus and especially to its epithelial cells may be the basis for later postirradiation damages to the immune system. The decrease in the concentration of alpha 1-thymosin in the blood serum of the examinee is the manifestation of the thymus hypofunction. In liquidators and patients with the ARS sequelae the number of SD25+ cells increased markedly indicating the existence of the source of endogenous cell activation. The content of B-lymphocytes in all studied groups of patients was reduced which may serve as a criterion of chronic stress.


[Radionuclide transfer by migratory birds]. Evaluation of the zoogenic transfer of radionuclides from the 30-km zone around the Chernobyl NPP was necessary because of the enormous heavily polluted territory and mighty flow of migratory birds who tended to large rivers, the Dnieper and Pripyat. The integral estimate of the transferred amount was obtained as a product of three variables: the transfer factor (0.0077 m2/kg for 137Cs; 0.0107 m2/kg for 90Sr), the density of birds (0.002 kg/m2, at the mass of migrants about 5000 t per year), and the total fund of radionuclides throughout the territory. The upper estimated limit of the annual transfer rate was 5.5 Ci (2E + 11 Bq) for 137 Cs and 1.8 Ci (6.7E + 10 Bq) for 90 Sr. Restrictions of hunting are recommended within the northern part of the Kiev reservoir.


[Determination of autoantibodies to antigens of thymic epithelial cells of clean up team workers and patients who survived acute radiation sickness at distant periods after irradiation]. A group of patients, suffering from sequelae of acute radiation sickness (ARS), and liquidators was studied 5 years after exposure to a complex of factors resulting from the Chernobyl A.P.S. disaster. Studied were: the antibody titres to antigens of the cytoplasm of thymus epithelial reticulum cells and to Hassall's corpuscles the levels of serum immunoglobulins M, G, A; and the content of serum alpha 1-thymosin. Patients with ARS sequelae and liquidators showed a high level and incidence of autoantibodies to antigens of cytoplasm of thymus epithelial reticulum cells and to Hassall's corpuscles. There were no significant differences between the antibody levels in the blood of patients with ARS sequelae and liquidators. The antibodies were found to belong to IgM class; there was a correlation between the serum IgM titres and the rate of the indirect immunofluorescence reaction with autoantibodies to antigens of the cytoplasm of the thymus epithelial reticulum cells. To identify autoantibodies cryostat sections of human and mouse, (CBA x C57BL/6) F1, thymus as well as the epithelial and stromal cell culture of mouse thymus can equally be used.


[Concept of the effect of low doses of ionizing radiation on cells and its possible use in the interpretation of medical-biological consequences]. A concept is proposed where the events induced by low doses of ionizing radiation with low linear energy transfer have different script than those induced by high doses. Its essence consist in the existence of a small fraction (subpopulation) in clonal heterogeneous population whose cells are determined for a specific programmed response induced by a number of action that are potentially able (at high doses) to decrease the survival of the given population. The function of the postulated cell is a deliberate sacrifice necessary for formation of evolutionary reserve. A mechanism of this response is based on an autogeneration of wide-scale genome rearrangements in cells and is not connected with direct influence of genetically hazardous agents on DNA. This leads to arising of a number of genetic variants (evolutionary reserve cells). Selection among them enhancing survival of the population may in the same time lead to harmful consequences for the organism (if there are malfunctions of the immune system). Medical-biological consequences of the effect of low doses are associated with the appearance of such clones and biologically active products secreted from the exposed cells. Mechanisms responsible for the above phenomena are discussed.


[Features of pine seedling growth under the effects of radiation]. The growth of Pinus sylvestris seedlings was delayed and polystem occurrence increased with chronic irradiation (a cumulative dose of external gamma-radiation was 6-8 Gy in 1986 and 0.7 Gy in 1990). The apical meristem activity was inhibited and central stem and main root died off under the effect of the radiation doses applied resulting in the development of plants of a specific floating form.


[Changes in the activity of 5'-nucleotidase and protein kinase of the hepatic plasma membrane depending on the dose rate in x-ray irradiation of rats]. In studying the effect of X-irradiation of rats with a dose of 4 Gy at different dose rates (96 and 4.6 cGy/min) the authors have revealed an increase in 5'-nucleotidase activity at a high dose rate (the first 24 h following irradiation) and a decrease in protein-kinase activity at a low dose rate (on days 3 and 7). The preinjection of alpha-tocopherol prevents the changes observed.


[Effects of gamma irradiation on biosynthesis of nuclear matrix proteins of the liver in pregnant rats and their embryos]. A study was made of the incorporation of 35S-methionine into nuclear matrix proteins of hepatic cells of pregnant rats and their embryos subjected to single gamma-irradiation (60Co, 1 and 2 Gy, 0.0233 Gy/s) on days 3, 13 and 17 of pregnancy and embryogenesis. On day 21 of pregnancy and embryogenesis a decrease in the rate of incorporation of 35S-methionine into nuclear matrix proteins was shown to be a function of radiation dose and time of pregnancy and embryogenesis on the moment of exposure.


Nutrition and magnesium absorption: a review. This paper reviews the evidence that certain dietary components can affect intestinal absorption of magnesium. Increased intakes of protein and fructose improve apparent magnesium absorption (magnesium intake minus fecal excretion) in humans, whereas a lowering effect occurs with consumption of cellulose and phytate. Although dietary concentrations of lactose, fat, calcium and phosphate have clear effects on magnesium absorption in experiments with rats, the impact of these nutrients on magnesium absorption in humans remains unsettled. Mechanisms underlying the effects of dietary components on magnesium absorption in humans are generally poorly understood. A change in magnesium absorption not necessarily results in a change in magnesium retention. When consuming practical diets, the fall of apparent magnesium absorption caused by phytate and cellulose is generally compensated by increased magnesium intake due to high magnesium concentrations in phytate- and cellulose-rich products. Furthermore, to maintain homeostasis, urinary magnesium excretion will be raised after stimulation of apparent magnesium absorption and it will be lowered after impairment of apparent magnesium absorption. Thus, the effects of dietary components on magnesium absorption probably are critically important only at low intakes of magnesium. At low magnesium intakes, differences in magnesium absorption may be expected to influence magnesium retention and thus can either induce or abolish magnesium deficiency.


[Osmotic homeostasis and radiosensitivity of NKLy lymphosarcoma cells]. In experiments with cells of ascites NKLy lymphoma differing in ploidy and position in the cell cycle, a study was made of the radiosensitivity, osmotic homeostasis peculiarities and thermoradiation changes in potassium content. It was shown that the resistance of osmotic homeostasis of NKLy cells to thermoradiation correlated with their radioresistance and was maximally displayed in cells at the stage of DNA synthesis.


[Activity of antioxidant system enzymes and lipid peroxidation product content in the liver and thymus of rats in the early stages of irradiation]. The activity of enzymes of the antioxidation system and the content of some lipid peroxidation products in the liver and thymus of irradiated (0.21 C/kg) rats have been investigated. Glutathione reductase and glutathione transferase activity in the liver and thymus of rats decreased during the first 24 h after irradiation. There was a phase change in the catalase activity during the initial postirradiation period. The content of malonic dialdehyde increased immediately after irradiation and somewhat decreased during the first 24 h. In 24 h, there observed a radiation-induced increase in the diene conjugate content in the liver and thymus of rats, against the background of low activity of such antioxidation system enzymes as glutathione transferase, glutathione reductase and catalase.


[Redistribution of alimentary vitamin E in tissues of irradiated rats]. The data are presented in this paper concerning the content of lipopigments, vitamin E and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the brain and liver of rats. Excess vitamin E delivered with food was shown to be bound in tissues into complex with MDA. It is suggested that it is a labile form that reserves vitamin E. Irradiation of rats caused impairment of these complex and release of vitamin E, as well as a decrease in the lipopigment fluorescence and increase in the MDA content.