Congenital heart disease in adults: surgical management. Fifty patients between 17 and 62 years of age who had been operated on in the past five years were reviewed. Of 24 patients with atrial septal defects, pulmonary hypertension and dysarrhythmia, which occurred more frequently in the older patients, contributed to marked disability in 54 percent and congestive heart failure in 25 percent. Correction carried minimal risk. All seven patients with coarctation of the aorta were previously hypertensive, and two remain moderately hypertensive after repair. Three patients with Ebstein anomaly were severely disabled but have improved after plastic repairs, although mild tricuspid insufficiency persists. The eight patients with ventricular septal defect were asymptomatic, but the rest, treated for tetralogy, pulmonic stenosis, patent ductus arteriosus, and coronary artery fistula, were moderately symptomatic. Clinical improvement has been achieved and sustained in all patients following repair. The results confirm that congenital heart malformations can be corrected with a good outcome in adults.


Massive spontaneous portal-systemic shunting without varices. Using umbilical vein portal phlebography, a group of patients, often with previously unsuspected liver disease or portal hypertension, have been identified with massive spontaneous portal-systemic shunts. In all cases, the collateral circulation was a single large vessel. The splenoadrenorenal, umbilical vein, or inferior mesenteric vein routes were the common pathways. These natural shunts were functional and effective in the alleviation of portal hypertension without evidence of esophageal varices or other collaterals. Portal flow was usually retrograde, perhaps contributing to the small atrophic liver seen in all patients. Six such patients were seen in the last 40 studied. This phenomenon may be more common than suspected in the cirrhotic population and account in part for differences in natural history, complications, and results of surgical therapy.


[Vincamine in patients with cerebral vascular insufficiency]. The effects of the treatment with vincamine in 20 patients with cerebral vascular insufficiency are reported. The patients were previously submitted to the following tests: neurologic examination, electroencephalography, laboratory tests, psychometry (memory, intellective capability, concentrated attention, abstract reasoning and personality tests). Patients were medicated with vincamin in a 40 mg dose within 24 hours during approximately a 150 days period, after which were again submitted to an identical analysis. The results obtained revealed that in a reasonable percentage of the cases vincamin is an useful medication in controlling the clinical manifestations of the cerebral vascular insufficiency, an improvement being demonstrated in the retrograde and anterograde deficit rate observed in objective tests. An improvement was also noticed in the electroencephalograpric pattern of a few patients.


[Corticosteroids in the treatment of myasthenia gravis. Study of 12 cases with review of the literature]. The results of treatment of myasthenia gravis in 12 patients are reported. There were 10 cases with severe generalized form and two cases with moderate generalized form, one of which associated with polymyositis. Seven patients had prior thymectomy and one of them had a thymoma. All the patients were receiving anticholinesterase drugs with poor response or without any response. One patient received a short, intensive course of dexametazone, and other patient used prednisone after a more prolonged dexametazone course. The remaining patients received prednisone, always beginning with high (100 mg) alternate day oral single-doses. This therapy has been maintained for a period thought to be sufficient to suppress the symptoms, as well as to allow remission or an improvement for remaining even when prednisone had been slowly decreased, after a scheduled of one to two years of treatment.


[Comparative radiological study between spasmodic torticollis and Parkinson's disease. Notes on the etiology of spasmodic torticollis]. The comparative clinic-radiological study between 45 patients with spasmodic torticollis and the same amount of patients with either essential Parkinsonism or tremor is reported. The study was based mainly on the alterations verified by plain roentgenograms and pneumoencephalography. The comparison between the findings obtained on both groups led the authors to conclude that neuroradiological aspects have statiscally no value in clarifying the etiology of the spasmodic torticollis.


[Developmental Gerstmann syndrome associated with cerebellar neoplasm. Report of a case and review of the literature]. A Developmental Gerstmann syndrome in a 7 years-old-boy with hyperactivity, short attention span, acalculia, agraphia, right-left confusion, finger agnosia and constructional apraxia is reported. An initial trial with methylphenidate was done with good improvement regarding hyperactivity, attention span and constructional apraxia. In the clinical course developed a cerebellar syndrome and intracranial hypertension. Surgical exploration of the cerebellum discovered a medulloblastoma. The author believes that this is the first described association of Developmental Gerstmann syndrome and cerebellar neoplasia. The clinical findings, the etiology and the topography of the Gerstmann syndrome are discussed.


Globoid leukidystrophy. I. Clinical and enzymatic studies. In a complementary clinical and biochemical study of patients with globoid leukodystrophy (GLD), cases differed from the classic phenotype of Krabbe disease and suggested a broader spectrum of clinical presentations. In terms of pathogenesis, the advanced development achieved before symptom onset suggested normal early maturation and myelination. Enzyme studies were carried out on white blood cells from the patients, their siblings, parents, and normal agematched controls. These studies utilized galactosyl ceramide of brain origin and a new assay technique. We found a specific deficit in cerebrosidase activity in leukocyte preparations from patients with GLD and intermediate levels of activity in their parents. These findings confirm prior reports and indicate an autosomal recessive mode of genetic expression.


Globid leukodystrophy. II. Ultrastructure and chemical pathology. A chemical-pathoologic study of globoid leukodystrophy (GLD) was made that compared myelin isolated from maximally involved central white matter with myelin from noninvolved U fiber areas. The results were compared to analyses of myelin from normal, age-matched control human brains. Myelin from U fiber areas contained relatively greater amounts of a lighter myelin fraction and this lighter myelin differed in protein and lipid composition from the heavier myelin fraction. The data have been interpreted to suggest that the metabolic error in GLD results in the formation of an unstable compact or heavier myelin and that a subsequent process of disintegration selectively affects this component.


Viral antibodies in the CSF after acute CNS infections. Viral antibodies were measured in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum from 25 patients having acute viral central nervous system (CNS) infections, and from 39 control patients. The results, collected two weeks after the clinical onset, revealed the presence of antibodies in nine of 13 (69%) CSF specimens from patients suffering from encephalitis of myelitis, and in only one of nine (11%) of the CSF samples of those presenting a viral meningitis infection. This difference was statistically significant and suggests that the titration of viral antibodies in the CSF can be helpful in establishing the diagnosis of viral CNS infection. Our data also suggest that localized production of antibodies occurs during the course of acute CNS infections, and that the respiratory syncytial virus can be associated with CNS infections in man.


Cerebral blood flow in dementia.

Cerebral blood flow in dementia. Twenty-four patients of comparable age, blood pressure, and degree of dementia were classified by an "Ischemic Score" based on clinical features into "multi-infarct" and "primary degenerative" dementia. Regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) was measured by the intracarotid xenon 133 method. Both groups showed a decreased proportion of rapidly clearing brain tissue (largely gray matter). Cerebral blood flow per 100 gm brain per minute was normal in the primary degenerative group but low in the multi-infarct group. This suggests the blood flow is adequate for metabolic needs of the brain in patients with primary degenerative dementia but inadequate for those with multi-infarct dementia. There was no correlation between degree of dementia and CBF in the primary degenerative group but an inverse relationship existed in the multi-infarct group. Reactivity of blood vessels to reduction of arterial carbon dioxide pressure was normal in both groups.


Cerebellular calcification in tuberous sclerosis. A rarely observed pattern of cerebellar calcification was noted in the skull roentgenograms of a child with tuberous sclerosis in the absence of cerebellar dysfunction. The computerized tomographic brain scan was useful in defining the extent of the cerebellar lesion and in detecting two additional foci of calcification that were not detected by standard roentgenographic methods.


Pure motor hemiplegia due to pyramidal infarction. A 77-year-old man suddenly developed left hemiplegia without sensory impairment, visual or speech difficulties, loss of consciousness, or ataxia. He died one month later of pulmonary embolism, and a cystic infarction in the right medullary pyramid was the only lesion in the corticospinal system.


Pilocarpine ocusert system for sustained control of ocular hypertension. A pilocarpine-containing, polymermembrane unit (Ocusert) was evaluated in 29 patients with open-angle glaucoma. Patients placed the system in the cul-desac once a week; they retained it well and tolerated its continuing use without appreciable difficulty. Intraocular pressure was controlled satisfactorily by the use of systems releasing either 20mug/hr or 40mug/hr of pilocarpine; concomitant medications were used where indicated. Side-effects from the ocular therapeutic system were minimal or absent. An attempt to correlate eyedrop strength required for ocular pressure control with the release rate of the Ocusert system required was generally unsuccessful. All the data on pressure response to the system, however, indicate that it provides control comparable to that achieved with the commonly used pilocarpine eyedrop concentrations.


Repair of DNA in xeroderma pigmentosum conjunctiva. Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is an autosomal recessive disease with tumor formation on sun-exposed areas of the skin and eyes. Cells from most XP patients are deficient in repairing DNA damaged by ultraviolet (UV) light as shown by a reduced rate of tritiated thymidine (3HTdR) incorporation during their DNA repair synthesis. We have studied such repair synthesis in conjunctival cells from an XP patient with a conjunctival epithelioma and from normal cadaver conjunctiva. Cultured conjunctival cells were irradiated with UV light and then incubated with 3HTdR. Autoradiograms were prepared and showed that UV radiation induced a considerably slower rate of DNA repair synthesis in the XP cells than in normal cells. Many of the ocular abnormalities of XP, including tumor formation, may be the result of this defective DNA repair process.


The psychosomatic aspects of children with vocal nodules. Psychological and emotional aspects of voice disorders have long received attention from otolaryngologits and speech clinicians. The literature contains frequent reports of such problems, but there are few studies on the full importance of these aspects. The cause of vocal nodules in children has been attributed to vocal abuse, and therapy has consisted of the elimination of this abuse. Reports of long-term follow-up are few, lending suspicion to both the proposed causes and the therapeutic approaches. Seventy-seven prepuberal children with vocal nodules are studies from the social, medical, and physical aspects. The incidence of vocal nodules approaches 1% of all children. Boys predominate this amount by ratios greater than 3:1, with incidence peaks between ages 5 and 10. Conventional modes of therapy have been unsuccessful because of the lack of recognition of psychosomatic factors. New approaches for therapy are suggested including parental involvement, counseling, group therapy, and drug therapy. Though emotional problems may persist, the somatic aspect of this disease disappears at puberty.


Mediastinal anatomy for the mediastinoscopist. Mediastinal dissections were performed on 20 fresh cadavers to determine the anatomical relationships of special importance to the mediastinoscopist. In all specimens, the right and left upper lobe bronchi as well as the left atrium were found to be within reach of the 14.5-cm mediastinoscope. The average interpleural distance in the tracheal plane was greater in heavier cadavers and increased from the thoracic inlet to the carina. The ease of identification of major paratracheal and parabronchial structures by blunt dissection was estimated. An average of 31 nodes were grossly available for biopsy in the mediastinoscopic field.


Pathologic features of the inner ear in congenital deafness. We present the morphologic findings of the temporal bones and brain of a patient with congenital deafness. We discuss these findings in relation to pathologic observations in other reported cases of congenital deafness. Morphologic abnormalities in the patient were mainly in the pars inferior of the membranous labyrinths. The osseous labyrinths were well developed. There was severe dilation of the cochlear duct with herniation of the Reissner membrane, extensive atrophy of the stria vascularis that was associated with calcified thrombi to the strial vessels, encasement of the tectorial membrane in a syncytium, and dyspiastic or regressive degeneration of the organ of Corti. Absence of spiral ganglion cells and their fibers was a prominent feature. The extensive and varied pathologic changes that were present in our patient simultaneously suggest a congenital abnormality in endolymph production and raise the possibility of anomalous development of the labyrinthine vasculature.


Long-term otologic features of cleft palate patients. In 113 patients, 58 with both a cleft lip and a cleft palate, and 55 with a cleft palate, the otopathologic features and hearing impairments have been examined to evaluate the long-term results. Chronic otitis media was found in only 3% of the ears, and cholesteatoma was found in only 1%. A hearing loss of more than 30 dB was found in 6% of 6-year-old patients, but the frequency was reduced to 2% in 15-year-old patients. These results are favorable in comparison with the recent reports of serous otitis media in other groups of patients.


The contralateral ear in Méniére disease. We conducted a survey of 292 patients who had Meniere disease to determine whether there was either some subjective complaint like tinnitus or hearing impairment or an objective symptom like hearing loss or recruitment of the contralateral ear. In 212 (73%) patients, signs of disturbed hearing in the second ear were present. If only the combination of sensorineural hearing loss, recruitment, and tinnitus is accepted as a definite proof of the diagnosis of Meniere disease, at least 10% of the patients we studied suffer from bilateral Meniere disease. Usually, there is an interval between the onset of the impairment in the first and in the second ear; an involvement of both ears from the first onset of the disease has been found in only six patients. We believe that involvement of the second ear in so many of the patients suggest that a conservative method of treatment should always be considered.


Odontogenic keratocysts and nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome. Odontogenic keratocysts and their association with the nevoid basal cell carcinoma synd-ome have become increasingly important to the head and neck surgeon, primarily because of their "aggressive" clinical behavior and high recurrence rate. Microscopically, keratocysts consist of a thin stratified squamous epithelium that is usually six to eight cells thick and parakeratotic. The cyst wall is thin and usually not inflamed. In contrast to the benign histologic appearnce, the recurrence rate has ranged as high as 60%, with a spectrum of treatment from enucleation to radiotherapy. We report three cases, in order to expand the small number of reports now in the otolaryngologic literature.


Acoustic reflex relaxation in sensorineural hearing loss. This study examined stapedial reflex recordings of pulsed pure tones (500, 1,000, 2,000, and 4,000 Hz) in 26 subjects with normal hearing and 18 with sensorineural impairment. The stapedial reflex tracings clearly differentiated the two groups of subjects. Like many of our special audiometric procedures, this test was least effective in those with mild hearing loss. The test also appeared to be useful in identifying high-frequency hearing losses. Although this reflex measurement appears to have potential as a clinical tool, additional field study appears necessary.


Acoustic reflex and reflex decay. Occurrence in patients with cochlear and eighth nerve lesions. Acoustic reflex and reflex decay tests were administered to 50 normal ears, 50 ears with hearing loss due to noise trauma, 50 ears that had Meniere disease, and 28 ears that had involvement of the eighth nerve. In one normal ear, ten noise trauma ears, 11 Meniere disease ears, and 24 eighth nerve lesion ears to reflexes or reflex decay that were suggestive or retrocochlear lesions were observed. Acoustic reflex and reflex decay results are also compared to tone decay results for these patients.


Central perforations-safe or unsafe?

Central perforations-safe or unsafe? An analysis of 227 consecutive tympanomastoldectomies was undertaken to compare the types and degree of middle ear pathologic features that are found behind central perforations as compared with attic or marginal perforations. In this series, little difference was found between the two groups. A great deal of disease occurred behind all types of tympanic membrane perforations. Near-normal audiogram results did not guarantee a normal middle ear. Central perforations are not necessarily safe and should be treated with the same caution as attic or marginal perforations.


Necrotizing sialometaplasia. Report of a case. Necrotizing sialometaplasia occurred in a 46-year-old woman. This is an uncommon benign disease that typically begins with an ulcerated lesion on the hard palate and surrounding tissues. Clinical and microscopic findings show obvious similarity with a malignant neoplasm. Necrotizing sialometapiasis is a benign minor salivary gland disease. It is important since it may easily be confused with squamous cell carcinoma and mucoepidermoid carcinoma.


Parotid branchial cleft cyst with facial paralysis. Report of a case. Cysts of branchlogenic origin are an extremely unusual source of parotid swelling. I describe the clinical course of a patient with a branchiogenic cyst that initially developed as a rapidly enlarging parotid mass associated with a partial facial paralysis.


Use of silicone injections in facial defects. For more than ten years, the judicious use of intracutaneous injections of relatively small quantities of pure liquid silicone for amelioration of certain deep lines, wrinkles, and atrophic lesions of the face has given gratifying results. Pure liquid silcone meets all the criteria for an ideal injectable fluid prosthesis except one-it is not currently readily available to all qualified practitioners. I discuss the use of silicone for cosmetic purposes.


Tracheostomy in children.

Tracheostomy in children. Tracheostomies were performed on 47 children, using the flap technique. Thirteen patients (28%) died of their basic disease and two (4%) died of complications resulting from the tracheostomy. Decannulation was difficult in four patients, and there was one case each of bleeding, infection, and tracheocutaneous fistula. Thus, the primary complication rate was 19%, including the two deaths. Clinical reexamination with tracheography was made on 20 patients after a follow-up period varying from four to ten years (average, eight years). One small stenotic ring in the area of the distal end of the cannula site and two slight depressions in the tracheal forewall were found. According to these results, the flap technique, if properly performed, is safe also in children.


Tobramycin ototoxicity: a second look.

Tobramycin ototoxicity: a second look. Tobramycin was administered intravenously to guinea pigs and was shown to produce an impairment of the alternating current cochlear potential. This effect is temporary and occurs only when the blood pressure has been severely lowered. We conclude that these data do not represent the onset of ototoxicity of tobramycin as reported by others, but only represents the cochlear effect of the pronounced fall in blood pressure that is produced by the tobramycin.


Human stapes crura. Normal ultrastructure, scanning electron microscopical findings. The crura of normal human stapes were studied with the scanning electron microscope. Three definite layers were seen: mucosal, periosteal, and bone. The appearance of each layer, as well as of the transition zones, has been presented. Familiarization with the scanning electron microscopic features of the normal human stapes crura should make identification and interpretation of abnormal features of diseased states apparent.


Parotid area swelling caused by a prominent transverse process of atlas. Among 1,500 parotid sialography examinations, the diagnosis of a parotid mass caused by a prominent transverse process of the atlas was made in 18 patients. The diagnosis was confirmed in one patient who insisted on surgical exploration. The remaining 17 patients required no surgical procedure. Many head and neck surgeons have unwittingly operated on such cases with frustrating results. Hopefully, roentgenographic findings will assist in the confirmation of the diagnosis and eliminate the need for such operations.


The jugular bulb. Its anatomic and clinical considerations in contemporary otology. The purpose of this paper is to bring together in a comprehensive, up-to-date, and relevant manner knowledge of the jugular bulb and sigmoid sinus. The gross and microscopic anatomy of the jugular bulb is discussed, and selected illustrations of temporal bone sections show the varying locations of the jugular bulb. Considerations in differential diagnosis are presented, and examples of surgical procedures are delineated wherein the jugular bulb was encountered, and the methods of management in these instances are detailed.


Retropharyngeal hematoma. A complication of therapy with anticoagulants. The retropharyngeal space is a rare site of spontaneous hemorrhage and the formation of a hematoma in this location is a rarer complication of therapy with anticoagulants. Nineteen cases of retropharyngeal hematoma have been reported in the literature, only two of which have been associated with anticoagulation therapy. In the case reported here, a retropharyngeal hematoma developed in a 61-year-old man who had been receiving anticoagulants. The complication was associated with a violent tussive episode. Airway obstruction necessitated a tracheostomy, and the persistent hematoma required external drainage.


Myasthenia gravis focal to the larynx. Report of a case. Myasthenia gravis, focal to the larynx, should be considered in the differential diagnosis of intermittent breathy dysphonia and aponia. A 20-year-old woman had intermittent breathy dysphonia and aphonia as the sole manifestation of myasthenia gravis. The vocal cords were flaccid, and adducted to the paramedian position for phonation. Improvement of laryngeal function was demonstrated with edrophonium and neostigmine bromide. Therapy with pyridostigmine bromide (Mestinon) maintained normal phonation.


Odontoma of the middle ear. A case presentation. We report a case of an odontoma of the middle ear cavity. A brief description of odontomas and their development is given with an embryologic account of middle ear cleft development. The developmental relationships of a nasopharyngeal odontoma, an odontogenic craniopharyngioma, and an otic odontoma are presented.


Lingual thyroid. Case report and review of the literature. We review the world literature on lingual thyroid. One of our cases of lingual thyroid is added to this body of information specifically because of the patient's unusual lack of any response to hormonal suppression treatment. This behavior was suggestive of a malignant neoplasm and was, in our opinion, indication for excisional biopsy, even without any of the usual symptoms associated with lingual thyroid. To our knowledge, this behavior has not been previously reported.


Squamous carcinoma of bladder with pseudosarcomatous stroma. A polypoid squamous cell carcinoma with pseudosarcomatous stroma of the urinary bladder was studied electron microscopically. The epithelial component was a typical squamous carcinoma that consisted of cells with abundant bundles of tonofilaments that converged toward well-developed desmosomes; keratohyalin granules were also seen. The stroma consisted of fusiform cells with dilated rough endoplasmic-reticulum cisternae and irregular cytoplasmic projections that were suggestive of active fibroblasts. No structures suggestive of an epithelial origin or of advanced mesenchymal differentiation were recognized. These observations are consistent with the notion that the pseudosarcomatous stroma represents a reactive process that is probably related to the growth of the epithelial neoplasm. Given the differences in behavior and prognosis between carcinomas with pseudosarcomatous stroma and true carcinosarcomas, efforts at separation of these entities are warranted.


Urinary bladder effects of levodopa in hamsters. Levodopa (3,4-dihydroxyphenyl-L-alanine) was fed at 1.0% of the diet to 60 male weanling Syrian golden hamsters for 48 weeks, followed by control diet for an additional 38 weeks. The incidence of tumors were: three of 60 hamsters with forestomach squamous cell papillomas, one of 60 with leiomyosarcoma of the skin, and one of 60 with cortical adrenal adenoma. Two of 30 control animals developed adrenal adenomas. Hyperplasia of the urinary bladder epithelium occurred in 33 of the treated group, and hyperplasia was not found in the bladders of the control group.


Ureteral obstruction from metastatic breast carcinoma. Metastases from carcinoma of the breast may involve one or both ureters, and may be a clinically important phenomenon. Two cases are presented and the autopsy experience with 181 cases of metastatic breast carcinoma is reviewed. Ureteral involvement was demonstrated in 8.3% of the cases. Bilateral metastases were common.


Effects of fluoride on bone in chronic renal failure. Fluoride is concentrated in the bones of patients with chronic renal failure when fluoridated water is used during hemodialysis. Excessive osteoid is produced that is not normally mineralized and severe osteomalacia occurs. Electron microscopical examination of iliac crest bone biopsy specimens from four patients suggests that fluoride induces the synthesis of disarrayed collagen by the activated osteoblasts. Collagen fibers were found to be normal in size and in axial periodicity.


Ovarian giant cell tumor with cystadenocarcinoma. A 25-year-old woman had a malignant ovarian tumor with two distinct tumor patterns: pseudomucinous cystadenocarcinoma and malignant giant cell tumor of bone. One area of the tumor had a lining of tall columnar epithelium with abundant mucin production; however, another area of the same tumor had a number of large multinucleated giant cells that resembled osteoclasts, intermingled with mononuclear stromal cells. There was no blending of the two tumor patterns. Mitoses were frequent in both areas. A probable histogenesis of the tumor from a malignant teratoma is suggested.


Bilirubin as a cholestatic agent. III. Prevention of bilirubin-related cholestasis by sulfobromophthalein. The administration of sulfobromophthalein sodium (BSP) to manganese-loaded animals had been found to prevent effectively the cholestasis normally created by bilirubin infusion following manganese loading. Measurement of bilirubin levels in blood, liver, and bile in manganese-bilirubin animals with and without BSP fails to provide convincing evidence for a BSP-induced shift in site or magnitude of total bilirubin concentration as an explanation for this anticholestatic action of BSP. Nevertheless, increasing the dose of bilirubin partially reinstitutes the cholestasis. The results are important in that they demonstrate (1) that under certain circumstances intrahepatic cholestasis can be immediately and directly prevented by a pharmacologic agent (by a means not as yet defined) and (2) that the cholestatic activity of bilirubin is, to some extent or under some circumstances, separable from its concentration in blood, liver, and bile.


Bilirubin as a cholestatic agent. IV. Effect of bilirubin and sulfobromophthalein (BSP) on biliary manganese excretion. These experiments demonstrate that the adminstration of bilirubin does not significantly alter biliary manganese excretion in manganese-loaded animals. Sulfobromophthalein sodium (BSP), which has been shown to afford prophylaxis against manganese-bilirubin cholestasis, significantly increases the biliary excretion of manganese. These results are meaningful in that they indicate that the amount of manganese per se in the bile is not critical in this cholestasis, and suggest that intracanalicular reactions are probably not etiologically critical in this model. They point to the conclusion that the critical cholestatic events are occurring within the hepatocyte. The results also indicate that the biliary excretion of manganese is obligate, and to some extent independent of bile flow. The critical cholestatic events are presumably mediated through the biochemical effects of either a manganese-bilirubin complex or of manganese and bilirubin acting separately but synergistically.


Bone marrow granulomas and infectious mononucleosis. Multiple discrete granulomas were found in bone marrow sections of a young woman who had the typical symptoms and laboratory evidence of infectious mononucleosis. I present a review of findings in this case, together with reports of experimentally induced granulomas mediated by an immunologic mechanism.


The influence of cage bedding on the metabolism of sulphobromophthalein sodium by an hepatic cytosol-located enzyme system. The use of cage bedding prepared from pinewood shavings has been shown to be associated with an increase in the activity of sulphobromophthalein sodium (BSP) S-aryltransferase in the hepatic cytosol in rats houses on this substance. This increase was associated with enhanced secretion rates of dye into the bile due to an elevation in the biliary excretion rate of conjugated BSP. Analysis of the hepatic dye content at the time of maximal excretion of BSP into the bile indicated that this phenomenon was due to increased intrahepatic conjugation of BSP. This observation emphasizes the importance of considering environmental factors that may influence results when designing experiments on hepatic metabolism.


Changes in the jugular haematocrit of sheep during feeding. Intact and splenectomized sheep with and without a rumen fistula were used to investigate changes in the jugular blood haematocrit and plasma osmolality during hourly and once-daily feeding regimes. Osmolality was also estimated in the ruminal fluid of fistulated sheep with spleens. Haematocrit decreased in sheep with spleens before they were given a once-daily feed; it increased when these sheep started to feed, reaching a maximum increase of 13% after 30 min of feeding; it decreased during the remaining 45 min of feeding time and usually continued to decrease after feeding stopped. These changes were not due to diurnal influences. Splenectomized sheep fed once daily showed only small decreases in haematocrit before they were fed. Increases occurred with the onset of eating but they were smaller (7%) than in intact sheep and were of shorter duration. In hourly fed sheep with spleens, haematocrit decreased in the early stages of sampling in a manner similar to that for sheep fed once daily. The changes in haematocrit that did occur were not related in any obvious manner to the feeding regime. The haematocrit in splenectomized sheep fed hourly was stable throughout feeding. Variations in the haematocrit in splenectomized sheep, equivalent to a range of 13% in one of them, were observed in a series of blood samples obtained during a 5-h period remote from the feeding time. Large increases occurred in osmolality of ruminal fluid when sheep were fed daily and this was abolished by hourly feeding. Plasma osmolality in sheep fed once daily increased slowly. Maxima occurred after 100 min from the start of eating and were 7% greater than prefeeding values. Only minor changes were observed when these sheep were fed hourly.


The sweat glands and hair follicles of different species of bovidae. Measurements were made of hairs and sweat glands in the skins of a number of different Bovidae. The principal differences between the Bovinae and the one member of the Cephalophinae (the duiker) studied were in the dimensions of the skin and its component organs and in hair density; secondary hairs were not present, although in the American bison small primary follicles which appeared to provide a woolly undercoat were seen. In contrast, secondary hair follicles were found in the skins of all the Caprinae, Antilopinae and most of the Hippotraginae studied. The sweat glands of the Bovidae varied in shape from simple sacs as seen in the oryx to the coiled tubes of the wildebeest, and different markedly in size, the largest being found in the wisent.


Chromosomal evolution in the lizard genus Varanus (reptilia). The karyotypes have been determined of 16 of the 32 species of the genus Varanus, including animals from Africa, Israel, Malaya and Australia. A constant chromosome number of 2n = 40 was observed. The karyotype is divided into eight pairs of large chromosomes and 12 paris of microchromosomes. A series of chromosomal rearrangements have become established in both size groups of the karyotype and are restricted to centromers shifts, probably caused by pericentric inversion. Species could be placed in one of six distinct karyotype groups which are differentiated by these rearrangements and whose grouping does not always correspond with the current taxonomy. An unusual sex chromosome system of the ZZ/ZW type was present in a number of the species examined. The evolutionary significance of these chromosomal rearrangements, their origin and their mode of establishment are discussed and related to the current taxonomic groupings. The most likely phylogenetic model based on chromosome morphology, fossil evidence and the current distribution of the genus Varanus is presented.


Isolation of Murray Valley encephalitis virus from sentinel chickens. Sentinel chickens were established in 3 centres along the Murray Valley on 20 December 1973. The demonstration of antibody in the serum of chickens in the Mildura and Kerang areas indicated Sindbis virus activity late in December 1973 and early in January 1974. Tests for antibody to MVE virus were negative until blood collected from one chicken at Echuca on 27 February 1974 and several chickens at Mildura and Kerang on 14 March 1974, showed positive HI reactions. Murray Valley encephalitis virus was isolated from blood collected from chickens at Echuca and Kerang respectively on 31 January 1974 and 27 February 1974.


Perinatal lamb mortality in Western Australia: 5. Vibrionic infection. Vibrionic abortion was diagnosed in sheep on 48 occasions between 1963-65 and 3 of these were associated with other major abortion pathogens. The outbreaks were scattered throughout the agricultural area of Western Australia. Time-of-death of 91 infected lambs was: ante-parturient death 50.5%, parturient death 13.2% and post-parturient death 36.3% (deaths occurring immediately after death 28.6%, deaths delayed after death 2.2%, and late post-parturient death 5.5%). The majority of lambs had gross lesions, mainly subcutaneous oedema and excess fluid and fibrin in the serous cavities. The characteristic gross liver foci were present in 37.4% of the infected lambs examined. Seven lambs with signs of starvation had liver lesions: necrotic foci (6) and hepatomegaly (1); Campylobacter fetus subsp. intestinalis was recovered from the liver and/or gall bladder of each of the lambs. Epizootiological observations were reported including outbreaks under hot semi-arid conditions.


Isolation of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and its association with pneumonia of pigs in Australia. Nine strains of mycoplasmas were isolated from the lungs of 5 pigs with clinical signs of naturally acquired enzootic pneumonia. Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae was isolated from the lungs of 1 pig and M. hyorhinis from the lungs of 4. An unidentified mycoplasma, which utilized arginine, grew rapidly in broth culture and produced centred colonies on solid medium, was isolated from the lungs of 4 pigs. The pathogenicity of the isolated strain of M. hyopneumoniae was determined by inoculation of pigs from an enzootic pneumonia-free herd. Enzootic pneumonia was produced in the lungs of all 5 pigs inoculated intranasally and intratracheally with broth cultures of the organism isolatied by limit dilution techniques. Enzootic pneumonia was produced in 3 of 6 pigs inoculated intranasally and intratracheally with M. hyopneumoniae purified by the passage of colonies on agar blocks. M. hyopneumoniae was isolated in pure culture from the lungs of all pigs with induced pneumonic lesions.


A new method of closed circuit anaesthesia utilising halothane and methoxyflurane. Experiences with a new technique of closed circuit anaesthesia used for 1003 surgical cases involving cats and dogs are described. The technique utilises the combined vapors of methoxyflurane and halothane from dual, low-resistance vaporisers situated in series, and supported by low flow rates of 100% oxygen in the inspiratory limb of the anaesthetic machine. This anaesthetic circuit can be adapted for many surgical procedures involving both controlled and spontaneous ventilation techniques and for young and old animals. The technique is considered safe, economical and easily managed and pollution of the operating theatre is eliminated by the use of the completely closed circuit.


Snakebite in the horse.

Snakebite in the horse. Four cases of snakebite in horses are presented. Diagnosis was made on clinical signs in all, plus fang punctures in 2 cases. Tiger snake antivenene was used in the treatment of 2 patients and these recovered rapidly. Of the 2 in which antivenene was not used, 1 severely affected horse died. The clinical signs which were observed were those of progressive general paralysis and were entirely referable to the neurotoxic component of the venom.


Observations on the pathology of bent leg of lambs in South-Western Queensland. This paper presents the first radiological and pathological description of bent leg, a disease of lambs occurring in the mulga country of south-western Queensland and thought to be caused by plants of the genus Trachymene. In the 5 field cases studied, the deformed limbs were characterised by abnormal diaphyseal curvatures and altered angulation of articular surfaces. There was both radiological and pathological evidence of irregular retardation of growth of epiphyseal plates. It was suggested that ingestion of toxic plant by the ewe interferes with normal endochondral ossification in the foetus. It was further suggested that more severely affected lambs probably occur but do not survive until marking.


Malignant schwannoma of the brachial plexus in a dog. A 4-year-old Labrador bitch was presented for veterinary examination with a history of lameness and muscle atrophy of the left forelimb. On clinical examination a painful mass was detected medial to the left shoulder joint. Radiographs of the shoulder showed mineralisation of this mass. Exploratory surgery revealed a tumour involving the radial nerve, axillary nerve and the trunk of the median and ulnar nerves. Histopathologic diagnosis was a malignant Schwannoma.


The effect of bovine ephemeral fever virus on the bovine foetus. Six pregnant heifers that were experimentally infected with bovine ephemeral fever virus produced normal calves. Foetuses of 8 heifers that were immune to bovine ephemeral fever were inoculated with bovine ephemeral fever virus. One was aborted after 36 days, but the cause of abortion could not be determined. One was sacrificed after 28 days. The foetus and its membranes were normal and neither virus nor antibody was demonstrated. The other 6 heifers produced normal calves. One calf, 501, inoculated after 160 days gestation, contained high levels of neutralising antibody in serum before ingestion of colostrum. The others, inoculated at gestational ages of 52 days to 157 days showed no evidence of neutralising antibody in blood samples collected at birth.


Effects of bodyweight and PMS administration on reproduction rate in Merino ewes. Data are presented on the effects of the use of pregnant mare serum gonadotrophin (PMS) and of increased liverweight on the number of lambs born, or in utero, in mature fine-woolled Merino ewes. The primary effect of increased bodyweight was to reduce the number of barren ewes whereas the main effect of PMS treatment was to increase the level of twinning among those ewes which conceived. The 2 effects appeared to be additive but it is pointed out that the survival rate of the lambs will be an important consideration in assessing the relative merits of the 2 treatments.


An assessment of the vaginal biopsy technique of pregnancy diagnosis in sows. Vaginal biopsies were taken from 450 sows in 2 commercial herds, 20 to 22 days after mating or artificial insemination. On histological examination, 96% of sows which subsequently farrowed were correctly diagnosed as pregnant, whereas only 21% and 50% of non-pregnant sows were identified. In 1 herd, 31 of 33 non-pregnant sows showed a delay in returning to oestrus (less than 42 days). Twenty-four of these sows were incorrectly diagnosed as pregnant on the basis of their vaginal cytology.


Erythrocyte aplasia in a dog.

Erythrocyte aplasia in a dog. Erythrocyte aplasia was diagnosed in a 6-year-old dog which had severe non-regenerative anaemia with depletion of erythroid cells in the bone marrow but normal production of granulocytes and platelets. Treatment with blood transfusions, testosterone and dexamethasone was unsuccessful. The dog died 46 days after initial examination as a result of anaemia, transfusion reactions, and toxaemia from an ascending urinary tract infection.


The use of decision analysis to evaluate the economic effects of heat mount detectors in two dairy herds. This paper reports a decrease in the interval from calving to conception in two commercial dairy herds, associated with the use of KaMaR Heat Mount Detectors. An economic analysis of the results uses a neoclassical decision theory approach to demonstrate that the use of heat mount detectors is likely to be profitable, with an expected net return of $154.18 per 100 calvings. The analysis demonstrates the suitability of a decision-theoretic approach to the analysis of applied research, and illustrates some of the weaknesses of "Classical" statistical analysis in such circumstances.


Semen wastage at a bovine artificial breeding centre. The consequences of the use of swirl assessment at a bovine artificial breeding centre were studied. Data relating to the amount of semen discarded, fertility of accepted semen, the relationship between discard rates and age of bull and ejaculate number have been presented. The overall differences in fertility between semen with swirl ratings, 5, 6 and 7 were very small. About 50% of all ejaculates collected in the period considered were discarded at the first inspection. The discard rate tended to be greater in young and in older bulls. The discard rate was significantly greater (P less than or greater to 0.001) for second ejaculates. It was considered that a proportion of rejected semen may have been of good fertility. Semen wastage after freezing was low.


The insertion of re-entrant cannulae in young calves and their maintenance for long periods. Re-entrant duodenal cannulae were established in 8 calves 2 to 7 days of age and 1 calf at 11 weeks of age. They have been maintained for up to 12 months and collections of digesta from the calves are still in progress. Most difficulty in the maintenance of the cannulae in the calves was encountered when the calves were weaned from milk, due to repeated blockages of digesta in the elbows connecting the re-entrant system. It was found essential that calves were checked at 12 hour intervals or less so that blockages could be cleared and the fluid balance restored by the infusion of Ringer's solution into the connecting tubes of the cannulae.


Perosomus elumbis in sheep.

Perosomus elumbis in sheep. Eight lambs affected with perosomus elumbis were examined during a 3-year investigation; one died during birth, six died soon after birth without rising, and one died at two days. Typically, the affected lambs had an infantile pelvis, thinner and smaller femurs, tibias and metatarsal bones, muscular atrophy, arthrogryposis involving most joints of the hindlimbs, and five had tail malformations. Associated malformations were multiple and included atresia ani (5), unilateral renal agenesis (4), cryptorchidism (4), perineal and diaphragmatic hernias (1), synophthalmia (1), high septal defect (1), cerebellar hypoplasis (1), and hydrocephalus (1). Five of the affected lambs were males and three were females. The incidence of 0.18% in 4,417 lambs examined from a large sheep population over a 3-year period suggests that perosomus elumbis is not an uncommon congenital defect of sheep.


Mandibulofacial defects in lambs from two flocks. Mandibulofacial defects occurring in two flocks during an autumn lambing season are described. The defects were micrognathia with microtia, brachycephalus, perocephaly, bilateral oro-auricular cleft, and aprosopia. As only early lambing ewes were involved, teratogenic plant(s) were suspected as the cause.


Selenium-responsive myopathy in broiler breeder hens in Queensland. A syndrome characterised by bilateral paralysis and associated with degenerative changes in skeletal musculature, has been noted in adult breeder hens, and their progeny broilers, in a commercial poultry organisation in Queensland. Paralysis occurred between the ages of 24 to 63 weeks in broiler breeder hens and at approximately 6 weeks in the broiler chickens. Onset is slow, taking up to 2-3 days from the time leg weakness if first noticed until paralysis was complete. Other than the paralysis the birds appeared normal. Histopathological and experimental observations indicate that the muscular dystrophy is caused by a selenium deficiency. Supplementation of the diet with selenium at a level of 0.1 ppm completely alleviated the symptoms such that the birds may be returned to the mating pens.


Haematology and blood chemistry of the red kangaroo Megaleia rufa in captivity. Haematology and biochemistry was performed to establish base line values on not less than 30 samples of blood and serum from 10 red kangaroos Megaleia rufa held in captivity. The kangaroos were apparently healthy. Ranges for results were: Haemoglobin 16-18 gm/100 ml, PCV 46-51%, erythrocytes 4.9 - 5.7 times 10(6)/mm3. MCV 86-98 mum3, MCH 30-34 pg, MCHC 34-36%, leucocytes 3.8 - 7.1 times 10(3)/mm3, neutrophils 2.0 - 4.7 times 10(3)/mm3, lymphocytes 1.2 - 2.4 times 10(3)/mm3, monocytes 0.1 - 0.3 times 10(3)/mm3, eosinophils 0.06 - 0.013 times 10(3)/mm3, SGOT 36-43 u/l, SGPT 30-41 u/l, LDH 30-85 u/l, protein 6.0-6.8 g/100 ml, albumin 2.8 - 3.4 g/100 ml, alpha globulin 0.3 - 0.7 g/100 ml, beta globulin 0.7 - 0.9 g/100 ml, gamma globulin 1.7 - 2.3 g/100 ml, albumin/globulin 0.8 - 1.1, Na+ 146-152 mEq/l, K+ 4.6 - 5.6 mEq/l. Rectal temperature was 36.8 +/- 0.3. High haemoglobin may be characteristic of wild animals and of animals which have a high level of muscular activity and large erythrocytes may be representative of marsupials. Haematology as a tool of ecological investigation and its role in future research is briefly discussed. A modified staining technique for performing differential blood cell counts is described.


Myeloid neoplasia in a dog.

Myeloid neoplasia in a dog. A 4-year-old Scotch Collie bitch was presented for examination because of hyperthermia and anaemia. Haematological examination and bone marrow biopsy led to a diagnosis of myeloid neoplasia. At autopsy there was slight enlargement of the liver, spleen and some lymph nodes. Microscopic examination revealed extensive infiltration of these tissues by neoplastic myeloid cells.


The pathology and haematological changes in experimental Pimelea spp. poisoning in cattle ("St. George disease"). Six young cattle were intoxicated with either stem or extracts of stem of Pimelea trichostachya or P. continua. Oral dosage with whole plant or alcoholic extracts was shown to reproduce all the clinical and pathological features of the various field syndromes known collectively as "St. George disease". Subacute intoxication resulted from relatively high oral dose rates, of the order of 60 mg of whole stem/kg body weight/day, maintained for about 2 weeks. Diarrhoea, weakness and anaemia were the predominant features of this sundrome. Lower dose rates, regulated according to the severity of diarrhoea, eventually produced signs of circulatory failure (subcutaneous oedema, hydrothorax and cardiac dilatation) in addition to anaemia and diarrhoea. It did not prove easier to produce circulatory failure by intranasal insufflation of powdered plant. Although the bone marrow of most affected calves did not react to the anaemia there was some evidence that erythropoietic tissue was not directly damaged during the intoxication.


The susceptibility of young and newborn calves to bovine ephemeral fever virus. The pathogenicity of a field strain, 417, of bovine ephemeral fever (BEF) virus for newborn and young calves was investigated. Three colostrum-deprived newborn calves inoculated intravenously developed severe clinical disease and viraemia, and produced long-lasting neutralising antibody. The incubation period in these animals was 10 and 11 days, compared with 5 to 7 days for older calves. Two newborn calves which received colostrum from immune dams and 2 which received colostrum from non-immune dams failed to respond clinically to intravenous inoculation with strain 417. The neutralising antibody response of these calves was of short duration. Four calves, 7 to 8 weeks old and lacking detectable neutralising antibody to BEF virus, or having low levels of antibody, did not develop clinical disease when inoculated intravenously. Four calves 12 to 14 weeks of age and free of detectable neutralising antibody to BEF virus developed clinical disease when inoculated with strain 417.


The incidence of dystocia in fine-wool Merino ewes. The mean incidence of dystocia in 1,510 fine-wool Merino ewes over a ten-year period was 4.1% of ewes lambing. In the 10 year period, 10% of all neonatal mortality was attributed to dystocia and in only 23% of dystocias was lamb presentation abnormal. The incidence of dystocia was not related to age of ewe. Significantly more ewes experienced dystocia at spring than winter (P less than 0.05) or summer (P less than 0.01) lambings. The mean birth weights of dystocic single and twin born lambs were 4.19 and 3.38 kg respectively. The corresponding birth weights of lambs that did not experience dystocia were 3.69 and 3.00 kg. More ewes experienced dystocia when stocked at 12 or 16 per ha than at 8 per ha (P less than 0.05). Fifty per cent of recorded dystocias occurred in ewes stocked at 16 per ha, 40 per cent at 12 per ha and 10 per cent at 8 per ha. Ewe body weight pre-lambing was not related to the incidence of dystocia but it would appear that weaker ewes are more likely to have a difficult birth than ewes that are stronger and in better condition.


The susceptibility of calves to infection with a strain of bovine ephemeral fever virus inoculated intracerebrally. Three newborn calves were inoculated intracerebrally with bovine ephemeral fever virus strain 525. The 2 that lacked detectable neutralising antibody to bovine ephemeral fever vaccine developed fatal encephalitis after 4 and 7 days respectively. The third calf which had a low level of maternal antibody remained healthy and developed antibody that became undetectable after 6 months. Bovine ephemeral fever virus strain 525 was reisolated from the brains of both dead calves by intracerebral inoculation of suckling mice. Homogenates that were prepared from the brains of the calves failed to produce disease or to induce antibody formation in susceptible calves when inoculated intravenously. Strain 525 of BEF virus has been shown to possess a degree of neurovirulence for laboratory animals that has not been reported for other strains (Tzipori and Spradbrow 1974). Although this strain is unable to produce viraemia in calves after I/V inoculation, the present study shows that strain 525 can multiply in the brain tissues of calves and cause death after I/C inoculation.


Antibody responses of turkeys experimentally exposed to Mycoplasma synoviae. The antibody response of turkeys exposed to Mycoplasma synoviae intravenously and by way of air sacs was determined by tube agglutination, plate agglutination, hemagglutination-inhibition (HI), and gel diffusion precipitin tests. The results suggested that continued antigenic stimulation was lacking in most turkeys and that the response was due mostly to IgM-type immunoglobulin. Under those conditions, both types of agglutination tests were effective and were more sensitive indicators of exposure than the HI test. The gel diffusion precipitin test was not considered effective under the conditions of this study. HI activity occurred in serums of intravenously exposed turkeys within 4 days of exposure. The sensitivity of this activity to 2-mercaptoethanol treatment suggested that IgM was responsible.


The development of tibial dyschondroplasia in broiler chickens. Two strains of broiler chickens selected for a high and a low incidence of tibial dyschondroplasia were fed a standard broiler starter ration with and without added chloride. Development of tibial dyschondroplasia was studied by radiography and serial necropsies. Lesions of tibial dyschondroplasia were mild in the low-incidence strain, regardless of ratio. The defect was more severe in the high-incidence strain and most severe in those birds fed the high-chloride ration. An abnormal thickening of the growth plate was apparent in the high-incidence strain as early as 2 weeks of age and became progressively more severe with age. No significant differences were noted in serum calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, pCO2, or bone ash between strains of birds or between birds of the same strain fed different rations. Birds fed the high-chloride ration had a higher serum chloride and a lower serum bicarbonate and blood pH than birds on the standard ration.


Sequential use of coccidiostats: effect on development by Eimeria tenella of resistance to amprolium, nicarbazin, Unistat, and zoalene. A strain of the cecal coccidian of chickens, Eimeria tenella, was propagated serially in chickens fed mash containing amprolium, nicarbazin, Unistat, or zoalene. Each group of chickens received a different coccidiostat on a rotating basis. The strain was propagated through 40 groups of chickens; thus, the strain was intermittently exposed 10 times to each coccidiostat. The end product of this simulated shuttle program of prophylactic anticoccidial medication was a strain resistant to three of the four coccidiostats involved. Resistance to nicarbazin was not evident.


Teratogenic activity of Arasan fed to broiler breeder hens. Tetramethylthiuramdisulfide (TMTD), the active ingredient in Arasan, fed to broiler breeder hens at 10, 20, or 40 ppm depressed egg production, reduced hatchability, and resulted in soft-shelled eggs. The progeny of these hens had anomalies manifested by bilaternal medial deviation of the toes, exophthalmia, and shortened femurs. Broiler breeder hens that consumed a ration containing 80 ppm of TMTD produced only soft-shelled eggs.


Pathology of velogenic Newcastle Disease virus infection in turkeys. Twenty-four 4-week-old poults, free from Mycoplasma meleagridis and M. gallisepticum, were inoculated with a velogenic viscerotropic strain of Newcastle disease virus. Clinical signs (gasping, coughing, and dyspnea) developed 4-5 days postinoculation, continued until nervous derangement appeared, and then (usually 3 days after initial clinical signs appeared) declined in severity. Prominent nervous signs were paresis and paralysis of the extremities, with pronounced head-shaking. The most constant gross lesions detected involved the airsacs. The abdominal sacs of a few poults contained a large accumulation of yellowish, cheesy exudate and there was cloudiness of the thoracic airsacs of all inoculated poults. A few turkeys had tracheitis with some catarrhal exudates and casts in the lower part of the tracheal lumen. Congestion of lepto-meningeal vessels usually correlated with the severity of the nervous signs. The histologic lesions were characterized by both degenerative and proliferative changes with predominantly mononuclear cell and heterophil infiltrations throughout the body. The obvious lesion seen in the recovery stage of the disease was proliferation of lymphofollicular nodules in the parenchymatous organs.


Studies on the pathogenesis of tibial dyschondroplasia in chickens. I. Production of a similar defect by surgical interference. The prehypertrophic cartilage in the proximal growth plate of the tibiotarsus in chickens persisted after surgical destruction of the metaphyseal blood supply. The persistent cartilage was grossly and histologically similar to abnormal cartilage from natural cases of tibial dyschondroplasia.


Studies on the pathogenesis of tibial dyschondroplasia in chickens. III. Effect of body weight. Surgical severance of the gastrocnemius and flexor tendons on the posterior aspect of the tibiotarsal-tarsometatarsal joint in one leg resulted in unilateral lameness in chickens that were susceptible to tibial dyschondroplasia. Perotic-like deformation developed in the operated leg, while the tibiotarsus in the unoperated leg was thicker and bowed in an anterior direction. In nine of 43 chickens with tibial dyschondroplasia the severity of the lesion differed markedly between the operated and unoperated legs. The more severe lesion was in the operated leg in 6 birds, and in the unoperated leg in 3 birds. No evidence was found to support the hypothesis that weight-bearing may be important in the pathogenesis of tibial dyschondroplasia.


Studies on the pathogenesis of tibial dyschondroplasia in chickens. II. Growth rate of long bones. The growth rate of the tibiotarsus, tarsometatarsus, and humerus was studied in two strains of chickens selected for a high and low incidence of tibial dyschondroplasia. The proximal growth plates grew more rapidly than the distal growth plates. The proximal growth plate of the tibiotarsus grew fastest, while those of the tarsometatarsus and humerus had growth rates that were respectively 4 and 33% slower. The bones averaged slightly faster growth in the high-incidence strain than in the low-incidence strain. A slowed growth decreased the incidence of tibial dyschondroplasia. However, lack of correlation between growth rate and the development of tibial dyschondroplasia in individual chickens suggested that growth rate may be no more than a contributing factor.


A comparison of the efficacy against Marek's disease of cell-free and cell-associated turkey herpesvirus vaccine. One-day-old White Leghorn and broiler chicks with maternal antibody to turkey herpesvirus (HVT) were vaccinated with 300 or 1,000 plaque-forming units (PFU) of cell-free or cell-associated HVT vaccine and challenged with virulent Marek's disease virus (MDV) by contact exposure. Broiler chicks receiving 300 PFU of cell-associated HVT had a 3.3% incidence of MD lesions, whereas only 2.0% of those receiving 1,000 PFU had macroscopic lesions. Broiler chicks vaccinated with 300 PFU of cell-free vaccine had 6.8% gross lesions, and 0.67% of the birds receiving 1,000 PFU had MD lesions. Unvaccinated broiler chickens had a 28.3% incidence of MD lesions. Unvaccinated White Leghorn chickens had a 48.9% incidence of macroscopic lesions, whereas 5.4% of the birds receiving 300 PFU of cell-associated HVT had gross lesions, and 8.3% of the birds vaccinated with 1,000 PFU had lesions. In contrast, 6.7% of the chicks vaccinated with 300 PFU of cell-free HVT had MD lesions, and only 4.0% of those receiving 1,000 PFU of cell-free HVT had macroscopic lesions.


Injecting antibiotics into turkey hatching eggs to eliminate Mycoplasma meleagridis infection. Hatching eggs from a commercial strain of turkeys infected naturally with Mycoplasma meleagridis were injected before incubation with various doses of tylosin, gentamicin, erythromycin, and chloramphenicol, individually and in combination. The antibiotics were inoculated into the albumen through a hole made in the small end of the egg. Gentamicin was the only drug consistently effective in reducing infection. With inoculation by the procedure described, the embryos tolerated several dose levels of gentamicin, tylosin, and erythromycin well.


Efficacy of a commercial Newcastle vaccine against velogenic viscerotropic Newcastle disease virus. Effects of parental immunity and method of vaccination were studied in broiler chickens vaccinated with a commercial LaSota vaccine and challenged with the Fontana strain of velogenic viscerotropic Newcastle disease (VVND). Immunity was satisfactory from all methods of vaccination used.


Epizootiology of Newcastle disease in waterfowl. Antibodies to Newcastle disease virus (NDV) as measured by hemagglutination-inhibition and virus-neutralization tests were detected in 40/236 Canada geese captured while in their southward migration or in their wintering grounds. Antibodies were also found in 37/267 wild ducks and in 20/31 domestic geese. Adult geese were readily infected by several routes. Inapparent disease usually resulted, and only 1/13 cases were fatal. Goose embryos responded differently to inoculation with selected NDV strains than did chicken embryos of comparative developmental stages. Some goslings that hatched from inoculated embryos died and were found to have virus, whereas others survived and developed active antibodies. Four strains of virus isolated from migratory ducks of the Pacific flyway were characterized. All 4 strains were lentogenic but differed from lentogenic strains prevalent in chickens by being thermostable. It is proposed that wild waterfowl neither receive their ND infection from domestic poultry nor pass their disease to poultry. The virus reservoir probably exists in nature.


Effects of hypoxia on early pregnancy and embryonic development in the mouse. The efficacy of gestation during early pregnancy was investigated in mice exposed to either 14% or 7% oxygen environments. At Day 8 postinsemination, animals were killed and reproductive tracts were examined. Embryonic development was decelerated and an increased frequency of embryo death and resorption was apparent. At the 7% oxygen level, implantation was almost always blocked as evidenced by free blastocysts and uterine debris of embryonic origin. This blockage of nidation is attributed to altered progestational support due to ovarian luteolysis as demonstrated by decreased uterine volumes. These studies indicate that reproduction is impaired by hypoxia during preplacental stages. Abnormal gestation may be attributed to the direct effects of hypoxia on the conceptus and to its indirect effects which alter the tropic and endocrine support provided by the maternal system.


In vitro characterization of field isolants of Pasteurella multocida from Georgia turkeys. Field isolants of Pasteurella multocida from fowl cholera outbreaks in Georgia turkeys were characterized by three sets of criteria: differential biochemical reactions, in vitro drug sensitivity, and serology. Of the 30 isolants studied, 28 exhibited identical biochemical patterns. These were similar to previously described patterns for turkey isolants of P. multocida. The two exceptions were isolants recovered from the same farm at different times. They differed only in ability to ferment arabinose. The isolants were generally sensitive to broad-spectrum antibiotics in vitro. The majority were also sensitive to the sulfonamides tested. Variation was sufficient, however, to warrant recommending in vitro sensitivity testing as a guide to selection of the proper therapeutic regimen in individual cases. Of the 30 isolants tested, 57% were of Heddleston's serotype 3, 3% were of his type 4, and 40% precipitated with antisera against both types 3 and 4. The large proportion of cross-reactors is unique to Georgia isolants. The biochemical patterns, drug sensitivities, and serological types had no apparent relationship to each other.


Electroencephalography in naval divers.

Electroencephalography in naval divers. EEG studies were conducted on 98 naval divers to ascertain the incidence of abnormal paroxysmal activity in them and to correlate it with their performance in diving. Nine of the 98 showed EEG abnormality in the form of a buildup of high-voltage, low-frequency activity after hyperventilation. None of them showed sporadic bursts of sharp waves from any region on intermittent photic stimulation. A 5-year follow-up did not show any association between the EEG response and the diver's professional capabilities. Nine divers were also examined after a 30-min simulated exposure at 2.5 ATA breathing air. This simulated dive had no effect on the existing EEG pattern. It has been concluded that a routine EEG examination is not useful in selection of divers.


Persistence of velogenic viscerotropic Newcastle disease virus in litter. Litter in a room which had housed chickens and turkeys actively infected with velogenic viscerotropic Newcastle disease was no longer infectious for susceptible chickens placed there 10 to 14 days later.


Use of the invariant method of speech analysis to discern the emotional state of announcers. An improved method of discerning emotional colouring of speech on the frequency of main tone and average number of intersections at zero level within the range of first formant frequencies is described. Vowels from words pronounced by announcers in different emotional states served as material for experiments. The method elaborated in the experiments with actors and drama school undergraduates was then tested in natural conditions on amateur parachute jumpers.


Nonspecific reactions to Mycoplasma antigens caused in turkeys sera by Erysipelothrix insidiosa bacterin. Nonspecific reactions to Mycoplasma meleagridis (MM) and M. gallisepticum antigens were found in the sera of turkeys vaccinated with Erysipelothrix insidiosa (EI) bacterin, but they could be removed by adsorption with EI bacterin. True reactions to MM could not be so removed.


Investigation of human cerebral circulation in spaceflight conditions. The effective control of the main physiological systems during spaceflight and investigation of the mechanisms involved is a difficult problem, but the success of manned space missions greatly depends on the solution of these problems. In this respect, the cerebral circulation system is of particular importance for control and research. The large amount of experimental evidence concerning the functional peculiarities of the cerebral circulation system gives us every reason to suggest that this part of the circulatory system could be readily affected by spaceflight dynamic factor-accelerations and weightlessness.


Traumatic ventriculitis in chickens.

Traumatic ventriculitis in chickens. Nine cases of traumatic ventriculitis in chickens, with associated complications, are reported. The findings suggest that chickens with traumatic ventriculitis may die either from extreme emaciation or from toxemia.


Differences between seated and recumbent resting measurements of auscultative blood pressure. Clinical blood pressure measurements conventionally have been taken while subjects are seated and at rest. FFA aviation medical examiners are required to measure blood pressure while the airman is in a recumbent position. Concern for possible positional differences in blood pressure values generated this study. Calibrated apparatus and objective methodology were used to record and measure blood pressure. Subjects consisted of 100 males between 20 and 60 years of age. Three blood pressure measurements were obtained for each body position. Measurement accuracy was to 2 mm Hg. Body-position order of measurement was randomized. Age and body-position order of measurement had no significant effect on body-position differences in systolic and diastolic pressure. For the total group, the average systolic and diastolic pressure were 6.6 and 0.8 mm Hg higher, repectively, in the recumbent position than in the sitting position. Although the former value was statistically significant, its practical application is obviated by the usual error of clinical measurement.


Toxicological findings in fatal civil aviation accidents, fiscal years 1968-1974. Toxicological findings in 1,345 fatal general aviation accidents from fiscal year 1968 through 1974 are summarized. Methods used in examination of specimens for alcohol, drugs, carbon monoxide, cyanide, and cholinesterase activity are described. Blood ethanol levels in excess of 0.050% were found in 117 of the 1,345 pilots (8.7%). Drugs were found in 16 cases (1.2%). These and other toxicological findings indicate that in more than 40% of the cases, information worthy of consideration in developing the human-factors history of an accident or the cause of death from survivable crashes was obtained.


Cryptosporidiosis of the bursa of Fabricius of chickens. Light-microscope and electron-microscope studies of a coccidial organism found in the bursa of Fabricius from 3 chickens clearly established the parasite as belonging to the family Cryptosporiidae. Hyperplasia and heterophil infiltration were associated with the presence of organisms attached to the microvillus border of epithelial cells lining the plicae of the bursa of Fabricius. Although there were no clinical signs or gross lesions common to the 3 cases described, all had similar histologic lesions in the epithelium lining the bursa of Fabricius.


Levels of whole-body vibration affecting human vision. A visual task was devised to determine the minimum levels of whole-body vibration that affect human vision. This task was the perception of the blur-due to eye motion-of an image of a stationary point source of light and is considered to be as sensitive as any alternative measure of the effects of vibration on visual acuity. Minimum levels of sinusoidal vertical vibration required to produce blur have been determined in a group of 12 subjects seated in a posture that maximised the sensation of vibration at their heads. The effect of vibration frequency (from 7 to 75 Hz) differed between subjects and there was a large individual variability in the levels of both head and seat vibration required to produce blur at any frequency. This intersubject variability has been compared with the potentially large intrasubject variability due to changes in body posture. The experimental results have led to the tentative recommendation of vibration levels below which vibration is not normally expected to reduce visual acuity.


Association of aircraft noise stress to periodontal disease in aircrew members. A review of the literature reveals a multitude of effects that noise may contribute to periodontal disease, including cardiovascular disease, angiospasm of peripheral vessels, hypertension, and an increase in inflammatory cells with concurrent inhibition of healing. Three groups of 25 men were selected from the Pennsylvania Air National Guard for study. Group 1 consisted of F-102 jet fighter pilots; Group 2, pilots and crew of a four-engine, propeller-driven C-121 aircraft; and Group 3, enlisted men not exposed to aircraft noise, as a control. The degree of alveolar, intraceptal bone loss for each subject was measured from full-mouth radiographs of all groups. The greatest amount of bone loss occurred in crew members of propeller-driven aircraft. Jet pilots had considerably less bone loss while the average number of millimeters of bone lost per tooth revealed a difference between the three groups to the 0.01 significance level (F=24.7). The data suggests there is a degree of alveolar bone loss over a period of years associated with exposure to propeller aircraft noise and vibration, and negligible loss for jet aircraft noise.


Serum urate and cholesterol levels in Air Force Academy cadets. Serum cholesterol and urate levels were measured in 150 young men at 2- to 4-month intervals during their first 18 months at the U.S. Air Force Academy. During the first week of cadet training, mean serum urate levels rose as high as 9.5 mg/100 m/, but decreased after a Sunday break. During this week, urate levels in excess of 8.49 mg/100 m/ were found in 44% of the subjects. Such levels, while definitely exceeding normal limits, were attributed to acute psychosocial stress rather than to an abnormal or pathological process. One month after the completion of basic military training, mean serum urate levels were within normal limits, as were all subsequent mean urate levels. Mean serum cholesterol levels were elevated at three times - during the first week of training, after the first month of the first academic year, and during a week of intense military training in the following spring. Apparently, urate and cholesterol levels were elevated by different aspects of stress. Elevations of uric acid level appeared to reflect stress that excited fear or insecurity. Elevations of cholesterol levels apeared to reflect a stress which the individual perceived as requiring a sustained increase in physical and/or mental performance.


Normal values and commonly used echocardiographic formulae for adults. Echocardiography is a valuable and widespread clinical and research tool. The normal parameters and formulae for adults are widely dispersed throughout the medical literature. The purpose of this paper is to present, in a single source, the already acquired normal values and formulae used in the field.


Management of severe decompression sickness with treatment ancillary to recompression: case report. Recompression remains the primary form of treatment in decompression sickness, but severe cases require ancillary treatment. The case of a compressed air worker with decompression sickness is presented who, in addition to recompression, required 5.5 of I.V. fluids in the first 8 h, heparin, digitalis, steroids, and respiratory support, to prevent death. The report includes a description of the precipitation causes, the course during recompression, the drugs and dosages used, and comments on respirator treatment.


Factors in 171 navy diving decompression accidents occurring between 1960-1969. Comparisons were made between the incidence of specific factors in U.S. Navy decompression accidents and the incidence of these factors in routine (nonexperimental) U.S. Navy operational dives. It was found that decompression accidents are disproportionately high among a) air dives less than 140 ft which have bottom times of 30 min or less and air dives greater than 140 ft which have bottom times of more than 15 min, b) Divers First Class, c) older divers, and d) dives which do not involve work or divers which require heavy work. Repetitive dives have a lower decompression accident rate than expected. Decompression accidents were not disproportionately high for any category of body build. These results indicate that the present U.S. Navy decompression tables are extremely safe (5 decompression accidents/10,000 dives), and do not appear to require modification. Future decompression research may be directed toward analyzing the relationship of work and aging to physiological processes involved in decompression. In addition, the present findings should be cross-validated using more recent accident and operational diving data.


Medical aspects of supersonic travel.

Medical aspects of supersonic travel. During the 1950s, military aircraft in France and the United Kingdom developed along almost identical lines in that supersonic fighters were developed together with delta-plan research aircraft capable of speeds twice the speed of sound (Mach 2). At the end of the decade, discussions between the British Aircraft Corp. (BAC) and Sub-Aviation of France (SUD) resulted in suggested designs for a supersonic transport (SST) aircraft. With official backing from both governments, the Anglo-French Concorde Agreement was signed in 1962. At first, the development costs were estimated to be between 150 and 170 million, the costs to be equally divided between both nations. The total costs for research and development are now expected to exceed 1065 million!


Head movement induced by angular oscillation of the body in the pitch and roll axes. The transmission of angular acceleration to the head of the human subject has been investigated during sinusoidal angular oscillation of the body in either pitch or roll about an axis through the upper lumbar vertebrae. The results indicated that angular acceleration of the skull was induced in all three axes of the head by both pitch and by roll motion. At frequencies below 1-2 Hz the head moved with the body, but in the frequency range 2-8 Hz the amplitude of head acceleration was augmented indicating that oscillation about a centre of rotation low in the body may induce large angular movements in this frequency range because of the linear component of acceleration delivered at the cervical vertebrae. At higher frequencies, the acceleration at the head was attenuated with an associated increase in phase lag, probably due to the absorption of input acceleration by the upper torso.


Considerations of vision and cerebral function during hypotension. The currently held theory of preserved consciousness with impaired vision during positive acceleration is based on a maintained intraocular pressure and selective impairment of conduction in the peripheral visual pathway, though the experimental evidence does not wholly support this theory. During hypotension, intraocular pressure follows closely the arterial pressure, and conduction along the optic nerve is preserved as long as the electroretinogram persists. It is proposed that, though the mechanism of visual impairment during hypotension is related to events in the peripheral visual pathway, there are likely to be active forebrain events which preserve consciousness.


Quantitative cyto- and histochemical studies of the Deiter's nucleus and nodular cortex of cerebellum in rats exposed to weightlessness. Spaceflight aboard the "Cosmos-605" artificial satellite during 22 d does not have a substantial effect upon the activity of enzymes involved in energy metabolism--lactate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase--in cytoplasm of the giant neurons of the dorsocaudal part of the Deiters' nucleus and cortex layers of the cerebellar nodulus in rats. At the same time, on the second postflight day, in the molecular layer of cerebellar nodulus in rats flown for 22 d in space, some increase in lipid content was noted, probably connected with quantitative or qualitative changes in afferent impulses from the vestibular apparatus to the nodulus. On the 27th postflight day, lipid content in the molecular layer returned to the level observed in rats during ground-based experiments.


Ethanol-induced lowering of arterial oxyhemoglobin saturation during hypoxia. Nine fasting, healthy, adult male volunteers were given oral carbohydrate before exposures to normoxia (PIO2 = 149 torr) and mild hypoxia (PIO2 = 98 torr). Following recovery, they were given oral ethanol before similar exposure to normoxia and mild hypoxia. Repeated measures of arterial blood and expired gases were made. Ethanol diminished respiratory gas exchange (R), causing lower alveolar and arterial oxygen pressures during normoxia and mild hypoxia and a reduction in arterial oxygen saturation from 89.9 to 87.4% during mild hypoxia. It is suggested that carbohydrates are preferable to ethanol and fats as nutrients during limited oxygen transport situations, such as high-altitude, carbon monoxide exposure, or during heavy exertion, and for patients with cardiovascular or pulmonary disease.


Vision in the water without a facemask.

Vision in the water without a facemask. Distance and size estimates and stereoacuity judgments were made in water by divers, both with and without facemasks. Without the mask, only stereoacuity was markedly degraded. Distance estimates were slightly more accurate, despite a great decrease in the range of visibility. Size estimates were slightly too small. Divers with refractive errors did not appear to be more handicapped than those with normal vision.


Comparative analysis of mimical and autonomic components of man's emotional state. In experiments on 35 subjects--actors and representatives of other skills--activity of the facial mimical muscles (EMG, videotape recordings) was compared to changes in heart rate during reproduction of emotionally coloured situations according to the method of K. S. Stanislavskiy. At the first stage of experiments, the subject experienced emotion and expressed it; at the second he experienced emotion but impeded its facial expression; at the third he gave facial expression but remained calm. It was shown that the combined method of diagnosing human emotional state is the most effective one because changes in heart rate reveal emotional stress and contraction of specific groups of muscles helps to identify the nature of the emotion; joy, anger, fear or sadness.


Infrasound: a short review of effects on man. The amount of natural and man-made infrasound that man is subjected to is larger than is generally realized. The few studies that have concerned themselves uniquely with the physiologic effects of moderate-to-high levels of infrasound exposure (as opposed to audible sound or vibrational exposures) have failed to demonstrate significant effects on man other than those concerning the inner ear and balance control. But the existing studies indicate that inner ear symptomatology due to moderate-to-high levels of infrasound may be more common than is generally appreciated. At very high sound pressure levels (greater than 140 dB), ear pain and pressure become the limiting factors. Ear muffs and ear plugs appear to offer slight protection from the effects of infrasound, but quantification of this is still lacking. Direct evidence of adverse effects of exposure to low-intensity signals (less than 90 dB) is lacking. The need for further research in this field is clearly indicated.


Smoke toxicity of common aircraft carpets. The smoke toxicity of three carpets commonly available for use in commercial aircraft was determined by ignition in a specially designed smoke apparatus. Rats were exposed for 15 min to three different fuel loads, on a weight-to-volume basis. Evaluation was by mortality, time of useful function (TUF), and unconsciousness. No deaths were noted with carpets A or C at 64 mg/l or 128 mg/l fuel load concentration; at 256 mg/l, 42% mortality resulted from carpet A and 4.5% with carpet C. Exposure to carpet B resulted in a mortality of 4.3%, 72.5%, and 100% at the three concentrations. The TUF data and time of unconsciousness correlated closely with the results of the mortality, but were much more sensitive. These studies indicate that a potential severe hazard exists with some types of carpet, and further research is needed to identify and eliminate these materials from aircraft interiors.


Circulo-respiratory fitness in United States Air Force Academy cadets. A sample of 79 United States Air Force Academy cadets was used to determine mean maximal oxygen consumption and percent body fat values for the cadet wing. The individuals selected represented all four classes and included no intercollegiate athletes. Maximal oxygen consumption testing was completed on a bicycle ergometer and percent body fat measurements were accomplished by the Wright-Wilmore method. The average max VO2 for these cadets was 47.91 (S.D.=4.58). This value compares very favorably with established norms by this age group. The mean percent body fat of 12.07 also depicts a highly fit population. The effect of altitude and the conversion for use with treadmill values is discussed. The USAFA cadet appears to have an excellent level of circulo-respiratory fitness, especially when compared with other military samples within the same age span.


Hematologic changes in mice during and after exposure to severe hypobaric hypoxia. Exposing mice to an atmospheric pressure of 300 mm Hg for 16 d caused a variety of hematologic effects. Hematocrit increased rapidly in the first 8 d of exposure and slowly in the second 8 d. Reticulocyte counts rose above normal, peaked on Day 8, and then fell rapidly toward the control level. Macrocytic erythrocytes, formed during exposure, remained macrocytic after the termination of exposure and after the loss of their reticulum. The posthypoxic mice proved sensitive for erythropoietin bioassay. Mice injected with normal dog serum showed a significantly higher incorporation of 59Fe than control mice injected with physiologic saline. A reduction of the duration of exposure to 10 d resulted in only a slight decrease in the sensitivity of the mouse bioassay system. However, a 16-d exposure at a pressure of 360 mm Hg resulted in considerably less sensitive bioassay animals.


Sensitivity of GABA synthesis in human brain to oxygen poisoning. Homogenates were prepared from the basal ganglia and frontal cortex of human brain and incubated for 20 min of 25 degrees C under either 1 ATA N2 or 3 ATA O2 (OHP). Exposure of the homogenates to OHP caused a significant inhibition in the activity of the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) synthesising enzyme, glutamic acid decarboxylase. This finding, together with previously published data on animal experiments, suggests that a deranged GABA metabolism must be given serious consideration as a possible mechanism for OHP-induced seizures in man.


Aircraft-type crash injury investigation of a commuter train collision. Until recently, the investigation of crash injuries and their causes in railroad crashes has been relatively nonexistent. Now, however, with the trend toward a more balanced transportation system, the number of railroad passengers is increasing and there is a concurrent demand for new, rebuilt, or refurbished passenger cars. Most railroad passenger cars in service today appear to have been designed primarily for longevity and easy servicing with secondary emphasis on passenger comfort and little emphasis on passenger safety. It is unlikely that these priorities will be reversed unless crash injury investigations can demonstrate a specific need for improvements in crashworthiness. In line with this objective, techniques developed in aircraft crash investigations were used to collect and evaluate crash injury and escape data from the collision of two commuter trains.


Effects in rodents of a 1-month exposure to magnetic fields (200-1200 Gauss). Under the conditions of the present study, magnetic fields ranging from 200 to 2000 Gauss strength have no toxic or histopathological effects on rats. The in vivo study and the histopathological results show no alterations of the vascular tissues, except for a nonpathological congestion of the spleen, and no intravascular thrombosis related to the experimental conditions. An unexpected observation was that the increase in body and organ weight of young rats was significantly greater in the groups exposed to magnetic fields. Therefore, no undesirable effects should be expected when magnetic fields within the prescribed safety limits of 200 to 2000 Gauss are applied to human subjects for several hours.


Cardiorespiratory responses to orthostasis and the effects of propranolol. Cardiac output and gas exchange were determined serially using the single-breath method of Kim et al. before, during, and after orthostasis on six subjects after beta-adrenergic blockade and in duplicate controls. In the latter, heart rate increased and pulse pressure dropped immediately on tilting to 60 degrees and remained stable while cardiac output and stroke volume declined gradually over 21 min upright. On propranolol, heart rate was 10 bpm lower supine and 20 bpm less at 60 degrees but cardiac output was only slightly lower before and following tilt-up. However, after 15 min upright, stroke volume and cardiac output recovered on propranolol exceeding the controls after 21 min without change in heart rate. Returning to supine, heart rate dropped in all tests with a transitory increase in stroke volume, cardiac output and arterio-venous O2 difference. At the same time, apparent O2 uptake increased temporarily, reflecting the return of pooled venous blood to the lungs. Orthostatic tolerance did not appear to be affected by beta-adrenergic blockade.


Final report of the Advisory Committee for Radiation Biology Aspects of the SST: cosmic radiation exposure in supersonic and subsonic flight. The main body of this document consists of four major sections: A) An introduction describing the scope of Committee operations and providing a brief exposition of the concepts of radiation protection; B) A survey of experimental and theoretical data on cosmic radiations that have been obtained in individual research projects with emphasis on investigations that were performed under the sponsorship of the Committee. The studies evaluate galactic and solar radiation as a function of altitude and magnetic latitude; C) Best current estimates of cosmic radiation levels in the atmosphere; and D) Radiation protection recommendations dealing with maximum permissible doses and operational aspects covering satellite warning systems, on-board instrumentation, and forecasting. Nine annexes submitted by individual authors cover various of these subjects in greater detail.


Central nervous system involvement following type I aviator's bends complicated by complacency. A false sense of security surrounds the possibility of post-flight complications resulting from "aviator's bends." The accepted clinical clue that a patient is at risk for serious complications is the presence of some form of dysbarism at altitude. This principle has been inappropriately extended to imply that serious post-flight complications of the evolved gas syndrome only follow serious in-flight symptoms. This paper, in addition to reporting the occurrence of post-flight neurologic signs in a patient after Type I pain-only bends during an altitude chamber flight, also identifies a broader subtle complacency in the professional community that routinely deals with hypobarics.


Soft hydrophilic contact lenses in civil and military aviation. This study was undertaken to evaluate that possible acceptability of the hydrophilic contact lenses, both in military and civil aviation. Twelve volunteers, senior pilots of both military and civilian aircraft, were accepted for the first phase of this study. Hydrophilic contact lenses were evaluated in different flights conditions, including different altitudes, pressures and humidities, as well as the effects of light and glare and the special tasks of military flight. Although the series investigated is small, the results obtained indicate that hydrophilic contact lenses may favorably replace regular spectacles worn by pilots of military or civilian aircraft.


Public health aspects of rabies.

Public health aspects of rabies. Environmental Health Services personnel are responsible for communicable disease surveillance and control, which includes rabies. They conduct contact investigation on all rabid animals reported by Veterinary Services. A patient admitted to USAF Hospital Clark with a clinical diagnosis of rabies (confirmed on autopsy) presented a more complex investigation problem. Identification of hospital personnel who had significant contact with the patient was relatively easy. There were 21 hospital personnel identified as requiring antirabies prophylaxis. Social contacts of the patient were more difficult to identify. Numerous friends and co-workers were interviewed. Only one person was determined to need prophylaxis as a result of the investigation. One of the most important aspects of any rabies investigation is coordination between all involved personnel. These personnel represent various disciplines including veterinary, medical, and public health (both military and civilian). If all individuals are to be identified, evaluated, and given complete, correct information, there must be open lines of communication between the various disciplines.


Molecular mechanism of in vitro transformation of mammalian cells by chemical carcinogens. BHK21 clone 13 cells transformed by dimethylnitrosamine (DMN) or nitrosomethylurea (NMU) ("alkylating" chemical carcinogens) appear to be restricted by temperature in the expression of their transformed phenotype. When grown at 38.5 degrees C, they exhibit a transformed phenotype (clonal morphology and ability to plate in agar), when grown at 32 degrees C, their phenotype is normal. Conversion from the normal to the transformed phenotype and the reverse is possible by temperature shifts. Conversely of the BHK21 clone 13 cells, of the rat fibroblasts (R111) transformed by 4-nitroquinoline-N-oxide (NQN), some exhibit a transformed phenotype restricted by temperature while others are not restricted by temperature in the expression of transformation. A working hypothesis is proposed suggesting that the phenotype of cells transformed by chemical carcinogens may be determined by the nature of the chemical reaction with the cell DNA. "Alkylating" carcinogens cause prevalently point mutation in bacteria (of the base substitution kind); in the case of transformation of mammalian cells temperature-sensitive phenotypes will be obtained. "Frameshift" carcinogens cause frameshift mutation in bacteria and cells transformed by this class of carcinogens will exhibit a transformed phenotype unrestricted by temperature.


Differentiation of Friend virus-induced leukemia cells. A long-term cultured Friend leukemia cell is able to differentiate along the erythrocytic series following treatment with some substances and that can be demonstrated by a conjugated erythrocyte membrane-specific antibody technique. Differentiation is induced by inhibition of DNA synthesis and by dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), erythropoietin (EP) and Vitamin B12 (B12), and other agents. The effective substances were divided into 2 groups by the mode of differentiation of Friend cells. A differentiated state continues for several days when cells are re-cultured in the medium without substances. The decreased tumorigenecity of differentiated cells is proved by back transplantation to mice.


Enhancement of host immune response to cell surface antigens by a preparation of Streptococcus hemolyticus. A preparation (OK-432) of a low virulence strain, Su, of Streptococcus hemolyticus (Group A) has been found to possess 2 different effects on tumor cells: a) A direct pharmacological effect like other antitumor drugs, and b) an indirect effect through the enhancement of the host immune response. In order to examine the second effect, 2 different antigen systems were used, Gross (G) cell surface antigens (GCSAs) and the cell surface differentiation antigen PCl. At certain ages, untreated C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice occasionally produce natural antibodies to GCSAs and PCl, respectively. When the mice were injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) with OK-432 at 2 months of age, they produced natural antibodies to GCSAs or to PCl antigen, unlike untreated mice of the same strains at the same ages (negative controls), which produced no antibodies. The specificity of the antibodies was carefully examined by cytotoxicity tests. In addition, the activity of the natural antibodies was not neutralized with OK-432 itself. We have proven that OK-432 enhances the production of natural antibodies to specific cell-surface antigens.


Mouse fetal antigens in Rauscher leukemia. Recently, various reports on fetal antigens associated with the plasma membranes of virus-induced tumor cells have appeared. Hanna et al. also suggested the presence of a fetal antigen on the cell membrane of Rauscher virus-induced leukemia cells. We were able to demonstrate the presence of cross-reacting antibodies against embryonic cells and Rauscher leukemia cells in the sera collected from C57BL/6 mice immunized with Rauscher leukemia cells, employing the indirect immunofluorescence test. Such cross-reacting antigenicity was also found in AKR lymphoma cells by the absorption test. The antibody was completely absorbed with embryonic cells, but not with adult spleen cells or adult C57BL/6 thymocytes. The absorption test showed that this antigen was different from Gross and Friend-Moloney-Rauscher antigens. The antigen detectable by the serum first appeared in 12-day-old embryos. It was found abundantly in the cells from the digestive tract and lungs, but not in the cells from the liver or brain. A natural antibody against the fetal antigen was also found to exist in the sera from a few aged C57BL/6 mice. The presence of the natural antibody, however, could not be related to the history of pregnancy of the mouse.