Spatial and temporal memory in 20 to 60 year olds

Younger (mean age = 20 years) and older (mean age = 64 years) adults were tested on spatial and temporal memory tasks. No age difference was observed on the temporal task but older adults performed worse than younger adults on the spatial task. The absence of an age-related decline in performance on the temporal task is counter to most previous developmental research on adults' memory. This finding indicates that normal aging is not associated with poor encoding or retention of all types of information. The presence of an age-related decline in performance on the spatial task is consistent with most research on memory aging. Moreover, this finding indicates that aging affects retention of some types of information often assumed to be encoded automatically.

Nonunion

Nonunion can be classified into hypertrophic and atrophic types solely on radiographic appearance. The etiology of the former is uncontrolled motion at the fracture site and of the latter is devitalization of bone at the fracture site. The orthopedic management of each type differs markedly. Early diagnosis and proper orthopedic management of nonunion are predicated on proper interpretation of the radiographs. The radiographic appearance of each type is discussed and the pathophysiology is explained.

Localization of platelet antigens in human kidney disease

The localization of a platelet antigen or antigens kidneys from 106 patients with renal disease was evaluated with immunofluorescent microscopy by using a rabbit antibody to human platelets. The antiplatelet IgG fixed to the surface membrane of platelets did not react with erythrocytes, leukocytes, plasma, normal kidney, or a variety of normal tissue targets. Significant glomerular and vascular deposition of platelet antigen (or antigens) was observed along the endothelium or as vascular plugs in kidney tissue from patients with hemolytic uremic syndrome, membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (types I and II), diabetic nephropathy, hypertensive renal disease, scleroderma, and other diseases. Dual-label immunofluorescent studies revealed that platelet antigen (or antigens) and fibrinogen/fibrin-related antigen (FRA) were usually, though not always, present in similar loci. Platelet antigens were not observed at sites of intense FRA deposition: in the mesangium in anaphylactoid purpura and in glomerular crescents in Goodpasture's syndrome. Platelet antigen was detected in the peritubular capillaries of most patients with diabetic nephropathy.

Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I-induced immunoglobulin production in human cord blood lymphocytes

Human cord blood mononuclear cells (MNC) were stimulated with antibiotic killed Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I bacteria (S. aureus) or pokeweed mitogen (PWM) and cultured for 6 days. Immunoglobulin synthesis and secretion was measured with the indirect protein A plaque-forming cell (PFC) assay. All 14 cord blood specimens stimulated with S. aureus produced PFC comparable to that measured in adult peripheral blood cultures. PWM induced only minimal responses in cord MNC whereas good responses were demonstrated in adult cell cultures. The majority of the cord blood immunoglobulin synthesizing cells produced IgM, however, significant production of IgA was also seen. These observations were confirmed by detection of intracytoplasmic immunoglobulin in plasma cells with the use of fluorescent anti-immunoglobulin antibodies.

Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I-induced immunoglobulin production in human cord blood lymphocytes

Human cord blood mononuclear cells (MNC) were stimulated with antibiotic killed Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I bacteria (S. aureus) or pokeweed mitogen (PWM) and cultured for 6 days. Immunoglobulin synthesis and secretion was measured with the indirect protein A plaque-forming cell (PFC) assay. All 14 cord blood specimens stimulated with S. aureus produced PFC comparable to that measured in adult peripheral blood cultures. PWM induced only minimal responses in cord MNC whereas good responses were demonstrated in adult cell cultures. The majority of the cord blood immunoglobulin synthesizing cells produced IgM, however, significant production of IgA was also seen. These observations were confirmed by detection of intracytoplasmic immunoglobulin in plasma cells with the use of fluorescent anti-immunoglobulin antibodies.

Clinical experience with a new casting tape

Between October 1977 and 1978, 93 CutterCast casts were applied at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. The composition and application of this new casting system are described, and the performance of the 93 casts is evaluated in relation to ease of application, roentgenographic clarity, skin condition, patient comfort, and ease of removal. The advantages and disadvantages are discussed.

Salmonella typhi facial infection. Report of case

The following case report describes the evaluation, assessment, and treatment of a facial infection due to Salmonella typhi, caused by bites from the family's pet dog. The causative agent and the mode of transmission are unique in that there are no reported cases of this nature in the literature at this time.

Memory of historical events

Younger (mean age = 20) and older (mean age = 64) adults were asked to recall the dates and make recency judgments for historical events that occurred in each of three time periods between 1862 and 1977. Overall there were no age differences in either the number of correct dates or the number of correct recency judgments. However, younger adults tended to perform better than older adults on events that occurred most recently, and performed significantly better on events that occurred during the respective times of their youth. In addition, somewhat different patterns of performance on the two dependent measures suggested that detailed information about events is lost with time, but that more general information may not decline with time.

The in vivo effects of glass fibres on alveolar macrophage membrane characteristics

The effects of inhalation of fibre-glass fibres over a prolonged period on certain membrane-related characteristics of rat alveolar macrophages have been investigated. Macrophage populations varied in size from 10-40 micrometers and showed an enhanced ability to spread across a glass substrate. An increase in the percentage of cells forming EA rosettes as well as an increased avidity of Fc receptors when compared with control macrophages was observed. When macrophages from fibreglass-dusted rats were cultured in vitro with autochthonous lymphocytes, a prolonged physical interaction occurred. These observations closely parallel these made in earlier studies on animals exposed to crocidolite asbestos.

Aerobic and anaerobic contributions to sustained activity in Xenopus laevis

In conditions of declining water PO2, Xenopus obtains the majority of resting oxygen needs from lung breathing at 15 degrees and 25 degrees C. The critical oxygen tension was 120 +/- 9 mm Hg at 15 degrees C, and 90 +/- 10 mm Hg at 25 degrees C. During 30 min stimulation of activity to complete exhaustion at 15 degrees C, frogs exhibited an aerobic capacity of 1.7 microliter O2.g-1.h-1 and accumulated 2.22 mg lactate . g-1. Following activity these animals exhibited an oxygen debt of 49.2 microliter O2.g-1. At 25 degrees C, Xenopus had an aerobic capacity of 16.1 microliter O2.g-1 and accumulated 1.94 mg lactate . g-1. Following activity, 25 degrees C frogs exhibited an oxygen debt of 261.9 microliter O2.g-1. Thus at 15 degrees C, Xenopus acquires 85% of the ATP used during a bout of sustained exhaustive activity from anaerobic sources, and 98% at 25 degrees C. Recovery from exhaustive activity was complete after 5 h at 25 degrees C and 9 h at 15 degrees C. Comparison of these data with those of other amphibians stimulated to sustained activity suggests that aquatic amphibians can tolerate a larger lactate load than can terrestrial forms.

Further evidence for independent segregation of the HLA system and a structural gene for the sixth component of complement (C6)

Previous studies have shown conflicting results with respect to the relationship between C6 deficiency and the HLA system. The present investigation of two kinships, in which C6 deficiency was associated with the expression of an amorphic (or silent) C6 allele, has provided further evidence for the genetic independence of a structural C6 locus and the HLA system.

Genetic microsurgery by laser: establishment of a clonal population of rat kangaroo cells (PTK2) with a directed deficiency in a chromosomal nucleolar organizer

An ultraviolet laser beam was focused to a submicron spot on one of the nucleolar organizer regions of mitotic chromosomes of rat kangaroo cells in tissue culture. The daughter cells were isolated and cloned into a viable population that maintained the directed nucleolar deficiency. It is concluded that the laser can be used to delete preselected genetic regions and the genetic deletion is maintained as a heritable deficiency in subsequent daughter cells.

The effects of asbestos on macrophages

The exact role of the alveolar macrophage in the pathogenesis of asbestosis is not known. Most studies of the effect of asbestos on macrophages have been concerned with the in vitro biochemical or cytotoxic properties of the dust and have made use of peritoneal macrophages. In general, chrysotile had a toxic effect on the macrophages, whereas amphibole varieties did not. Most forms of absetos, however, are actively fibrogenic in man and animals, and there is no clear correlation between in vitro cytotoxicity of various forms of asbestos and their fibrogenicity. Recent experiments in which animals are exposed to asbestos in vivo provide evidence of alteration of macrophage activity, as demonstrated by changes in surface morphology and IgG receptor sites, as well as released of various secretory products. Deposition of complement components found on the surface of alveolar marcophages from animals exposed to asbestos could be a manifestation of a humoral immune response directed against an altered cell. The capacity of macrophages to participate in inflammation, tissue repair, and immunity suggests an immunopathogenic concept for the development of asbestosis.

Spontaneously acquired factor IX inhibitor in a nonhemophiliac child

A 2 1/2-year-old, previously healthy child developed progressive swelling of the left leg and a hematoma of the anterior chest wall associated with a falling hemoglobin concentration, as a result of a spontaneously acquired Factor IX inhibitor. Successful management of her condition required a four-volume exchange transfusion and immunosuppressive therapy consisting of cyclophosphamide for four days and prednisone for one month. A brief review of the literature regarding the occurrence and nature of acquired coagulation factor inhibitors and the role of immunosuppressive therapy is also presented.

Retinal surgery complicated by a spontaneously acquired factor VIII inhibitor

We studied a factor VIII inhibitor spontaneously occurring in an otherwise healthy patient who underwent retinal reattachment. The clotting defect first manifested itself as a delayed hemorrhagic choroidal detachment. His bleeding diathesis was successfully managed by infusion of factor VIII concentrate, prednisone, and cyclophosphamide. Surgical procedures in patients with severe bleeding disorders present a difficult therapeutic problem which can be effectively managed by the close cooperation of the surgeon, hematologist, coagulation laboratory, and blood bank.

Metabolic properties of maintained oligodendroglia purified from brain

Oligodendroglia isolated in bulk from dissected white matter of lamb or calf brain can now be maintained in culture for several days. The cells remain intact and viable during this time. The in vitro incorporation of various radiolabeled precursors into lipids or proteins was examined, and its was found that oligodendroglia synthesize the lipids which are predominant in brain, and especially in myelin. They actively synthesize cholesterol, cerebrosides, sulfatides, and all of the phospholipids, especially phosphatidylcholine. In addition, they produce a variety of radiolabeled proteins, with those of high molecular weight exhibiting the most radioactivity. Thus the cells are metabolically very active in vitro and can be used as a model system to study turnover of lipids in the cell, as well as the synthesis of myelin-specific components.

Phosphorylation of proteoglycans in human articular cartilage

A study of human articular cartilage indicated that componenet proteoglycans can be phosphorylated. Phosphorylation, also found in a specimen of human epiphysial cartilage, occurred when [gamma-32P]-ATP or 32Pi was included in the in vitro incubation medium. Treatment of the phosphorylated proteoglycans with chondroitinase and chondrosulfatases effectively removed the chondroitin sulfate without dephosphorylating the remaining molecule. Since phosphorylation could be effected in a totally chemically defined medium, it appears that the necessary enzyme systems for this reaction are contained entirely within chondrocytes.

Ultrastructure of the lung in the rat following exposure to crocidolite asbestos and quartz

Lung tissue from rats that had inhaled U.I.C.C. crocidolite asbestos or quartz particles showed thickening of the interstitial tissue and the presence of collagen fibres. Aggregates of macrophages in the alveolar spaces were a dominant feature of all the sections examined from asbestos exposed rats. According to the ultrastructural studies described here, all the macrophages were mature cells, indicating that the ingested crocidolite asbestos was non-toxic. Lung sections of rats exposed to quartz particles were significantly different. Single cells were found in the alveolar spaces and many macrophages showed a characteristic pattern of vacuole formation. Other cells contained intracellular membranous lamellated bodies, similar to those found in Type II pneumocytes. Cells containing lamellated bodies were also found in the interstitial tissue. These findings suggest that the two mineral dusts have quite different biological effects on the macrophage and that the development of pulmonary fibrosis may, to some extent, be caused by a different mechanism in each instance.

Calcium and cancer

For many years the calcium ion has repeatedly cropped up in research work concerning the transformation of the normal cell to the malignant state. When these results are collected together they indicate that calcium may hold the key to the solution of many of the problems concerning the cancer cell.

The in vivo effects of quartz on rat thoracic lymph nodes

The histological changes in the regional thoracic lymph nodes of rats exposed to silica dust by inhalation are recorded. A dual response is noted involving both inflammatory and immune mechanisms, resulting in a fibroblastic connective tissue reaction and a plasma-cell-macrophage interaction. It is proposed that the progressive silicotic lesions obstruct the lymphatic channels in the lymph nodes, thus interfering with the lymph drainage from the lung and aggravating the silicotic process in the lung itself.

Immune adherence reactivity of rat alveolar macrophages following inhalation of crocidolite asbestos

The immune adherence phenomenon was used to demonstrate the in vivo deposition of complement on membranes of alveolar macrophages from rats chronically exposed to crocidolite asbestos dust. Pre-treatment of macrophage cualtures with anti-C3 antiserum greatly diminished the level of immune adherence reactivity. Alveolar macrophages exposed to crocidolite asbestos in vitro did not exhibit significant levels of immune adherence reactivity. These results may reflect an in-vivo antigen-antibody-complement interaction on the surface of a alveolar macrophages from animals which have inhaled asbestos dust.

Breakdown products of C3 and factor B in hemolytic-uremic syndrome

Serum concentrations of Clq, C4, C3, and Factor B but not properdin were significantly decreased in patients with HUS compared to values in normal control subjects (p value less than 0.01). Sera from 13 HUS patients obtained early after the onset of the disease showed breakdown products of Factor B (Ba, Bb) by immunoelectrophoresis; 12 of these sera showed C3 breakdown products (C3c, C3d). Sera from seven patients studied 1 month to 3 years later no longer demonstrated any breakdown products of Factor B or C3. These data suggest that the complemented system is activate in HUS. The concept that immunological mechanisms play a major role in this disease is additionally supported by the occurrence of IgM, C3, and fibrin in glomeruli and renal vessels.

Fetal metachromatic leukodystrophy: pathology, biochemistry and a study of in vitro enzyme replacement in CNS tissue

Brain tissue from a fetus with the diagnosis of metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) became available at autopsy. Pathologic studies of the CNS showed inclusion bodies within oligodendroglia. The morphology of myelin was normal. Cells and myelin were isolated from the cerebrum; there was an increased level of sulfatide present in both fractions. In vitro studies of enzyme replacement in cultured MLD brain cells indicated that it may be possible to correct the abnormal sulfatide accumulation.

Immunopathology of renal extracellular membranes in diabetes mellitus. Specificity of tubular basement-membrane immunofluorescence

This study documents the presence of marked immunofluorescence for IgG and albumin in renal extracellular membranes, especially tubular basement membranes (TBM), of patients with severe diabetic nephropathy. A comprehensive immunofluorescent analysis was carried out on kidney tissue from 83 patients--Group I: 24 living normal renal allograft donors and two infants less than one week of age. Group II: 24 patients with severe nephropathy who had juvenile onset of diabetes 16 to 30 years previously and who ranged in age from 20 to 47 years. Group III: 33 patients with severe kidney disease of varied etiologies with an age range of five to 63 years. The sections were assayed for a variety of proteins (immunoglobulins, complement components, and tissue antigens). Kidney sections of all patients with severe diabetic nephropathy were readily distinguished from kidneys of other patients and normals by the intense linear staining of the extracellular membranes, especially the tubular basement membrane for IgG and and albumin. Dual-labeled studies using FITC anti-basement membrane (BM) and tetramethyl rhodamine (TMR) antialbumin demonstrated localization of the albumin predominantly to the outer but also the inner TBM while the BM antisera reacted more intensely with the inner membrane. There is no evidence that an immunologic process is responsible for these findings. These immunofluorescent findings are specific for severe diabetic nephropathy and may reflect structural changes in the renal extracellular membranes that permit entrapment of serum proteins, possibly due to changes in permeability.

Immunopathology of renal extracellular membranes in kidneys transplanted into patients with diabetes mellitus

Kidneys of patients with severe diabetic nephropathy demonstrate marked linear immunofluorescent staining of extracellular membranes, including the tubular and glomerular basement membranes (TBM and GBM) and Bowman's capsule. Immunofluorescent studies were carried out on kidney tissue obtained from 12 diabetic and 17 nondiabetic patients from two to 12 years following renal transplantation. The frequency and intensity of SgG and albumin staining of these membranes were significantly greater in the diabetic than in the nondiabetic patients (P less than 0.0005). TBM, GBM, and Bowman's capsule staining did not occur in any of the seven kidneys studies at the time of their transplantation into diabetic recipients. Thus, the abnormalities leading to the deposition or trapping of proteins in renal extracellular membranes occur early after the placement of normal kidneys into the abnormal metabolic environment of the diabetic transplant recipient. The present study supports the concept that basement membrane alterations in diabetes are a consequence of the biochemical perturbations of diabetes rather than a separately inherited genetically linked disorder.

Immunopathology of the end-stage kidney. Immunoglobulin and complement component deposition in nonimmune disease

Seventy nephrectomy specimens from patients with end-stage renal disease, four renal biopsies from patients with focal sclerosing glomerulonephropathy (FSGN) and normal renal function, and 17 control biopsies from normal renal allograft donors (Group I) were studied by immunofluorescence with respect to deposition of immunoglobulins and classic and alternative complement (C) pathway components. The end-stage kidneys were divided into three groups according to etiology: 16 patients with immune-mediated glomerulonephritis (Group II), 22 patients with congenital and/or familial renal disease (Group III), and 32 patients with systemic or primary renal disease in which an immune-mediated injury could not be established (Group IV). The pattern of immunoprotein deposition in glomeruli in Groups II, III, and IV, and in biopsies of patients with FSGN was similar: peripheral lobular, globular and/or granular, focal and segmental; it was limited to dying glomeruli or abnormal glomerular segments. A statistically significant correlation existed between the percent of properdin-containing glomeruli and the percent of glomeruli undergoing hyalinization in Groups II, III and IV (II, r=0.67; III, r=0.92; IV, r=0.78). No deposition was observed in normal or completely fibrotic glomeruli. In vitro heterologous complement fixation was demonstrated in 17/19 end-stage kidneys in a similar distribution. Early classic C components, C1q and C4, were detected in a somewhat higher frequency in Group II (14/16) than Group III (11/22) and Group IV (20/32) (Group II vs. III, P=.02 and II vs. IV, P=.07). C3 and properdin were detected in 77 to 100% of all 3 groups; in 18 patients, C3 and properdin were present without detectable C1q and C4. Immunoglobulins, primarily IgM, and components of the classic and alternative C pathways are regularly present in hyalinizing glomeruli irrespective of the etiology of the renal failure. These observations suggest that an immune process is operative in glomerular obsolescence regardless of the underlying etiology of the renal disease.

The immunology of asbestosis

Forty-one employees with varying degrees of asbestosis have been tested for any alteration in the immunological profile. Of these, twenty-two employees showed evidence of pleural thickening and nineteen parenchymal asbestotic fibrosis. Those employees showing pleural thickening gave a strong reaction to different skin tests and a few of those with a parenchymal asbestotic fibrosis showed depressed cutaneous reactivity. Lymphocytotoxic antibodies were present in the sera of 60% of those with pleural thickening and 94% of those with parenchymal asbestosis. An immunological screening schedule is suggested for those employees who show pleural thickening.

Metabolism and temperature regulation in young harbor seals Phoca vitulina richardi

Metabolism and the ability to regulate core and peripheral temperatures under a variety of ambient conditions were studied in five unrestrained pups (less than 5 wk old) and four 3- to 5-mo-old harbor seals. Pups born with nonlanugo (adultlike) hair and little fat were able to swim in 5 degrees C water for several hours without becoming hypothermic. They were also found to tolerate 5 degrees C air temperature with the fur wet and exposed to a 35-knot wind. Basal metabolism in pups averaged 0.8 ml O2 g-1 h-1, which is 2.6 times the predicted value for an adult mammal of the same weight. Lower critical temperature in air was about 3 degrees C. Oxygen uptake in 3- to 5-mo-old seals under basal conditions was 0.5 ml g-1 h-1. Minimal thermal conductance values were .02 and .015 ml O2 g-1 h-1 degrees C-1 in pumps and 3- to 5-month-old seals, respectively. Appendages, and to a lesser extent the skin on the torso, cooled appreciably at lower air temperatures, and the flippers were kept just above freezing in subzero air. Tissue insulation provided by low peripheral temperatures and a high resting metabolic rate enable newborn and developing harbor seals to tolerate the low temperatures encountered in their natural environment.