[Comments on so-called "chronic" and "therapy refractory" depression]

The problems of so-called "therapy resistant or chronic" depression has been investigated on own patients of the year 1986, but simply one chronic example could be noticed. Configurations-frequence-analytic research didn't essentially result in significant statements. It is referred to that the frequent occurrence of the so-called "therapy resistant" depressions described by some authors, could be in connection with limited diagnosis inventories and insufficient to the personality orientated therapy regime.

[The elderly and aging depressed patient]

Using an one-year-analysis depressive people beyond the age of 60 are analysed during a catamnesis-project considering clinical dates (under psychopathological, psychosocial and therapeutical emphasis) in which have directions for a change of the proportion of sick people to healthy people and the change of the shape of age-depressive syndromes deduced.

[Reflections on the need for geropsychiatric management in a rural district]

It is reported about results of a pilot study to the investigation of the geropsychiatric care demand for the district Haldensleben and conclusions to the geronto-psychiatric care structure of organization are added.

[Persistent nerve root compression symptoms following lumbar intervertebral disk operation caused by spinal neurofibrosarcoma]

Case history of a woman who was operated on a lumbar disc. After a mild improvement again radicular pain and neurological deterioration occurred and a second operation on a recurrence was performed. Intraoperatively a malignant tumour (neurofibrosarcoma) within the root sheath reaching into the pelvis was found. In spite of laparatomy and radiotherapy this patient died five months later.

[Monozygotic twins with schizoform psychosis and hypothalamic-induced hypogonadotropic hypogonadism]

It is reported about an uniovular male pair of twins which has been permanently hospitalized because of an intermittently progressing schizoform psychosis. A hypothalamically conditioned hypogonadotropic hypogonadism provable beyond that substantiates the possibility of the common causal genetic embodiment of both the clinical pictures which is disputed in literature.

Studies on the lysosomal binding of 141Ce, 239Np, 239Pu and 241Am in rat and Syrian hamster liver using carrier-free electrophoresis

The binding of 141Ce, 239Np, 239Pu and 241Am in the liver of rats and Syrian hamsters, following injection in essentially monomeric form, was analyzed by carrier-free electrophoresis at 4-9 days and several months after radionuclide injection. In contrast to density gradient methods lysosomes can be clearly separated from other cell organelles by carrier-free electrophoresis. These, and previous results from this and other laboratories confirm that lysosomes are the main initial binding site for these four radionuclides in the livers of rats and Syrian or Chinese hamster. Light microscopic autoradiography showed that at all the time intervals studied 241Am was more or less uniformly distributed in the liver of all three species. Thus, the changes in the electrophoretic pattern of the nuclides, observed at later time periods in hamsters, cannot be explained by gross redistribution phenomena such as accumulation in macrophages.

Association of 239Pu with lysosomes in rat, Syrian hamster, and Chinese hamster liver as studied by carrier-free electrophoresis and electron microscopic autoradiography with 241Pu

The binding of injected monomeric plutonium in the liver of rats, Syrian hamsters, and Chinese hamsters (species which show profound differences in their ability to eliminate 239Pu from the liver) was investigated by carrier-free electrophoresis using 239Pu and electron microscopic autoradiography with 241Pu. These studies are part of a program designed to obtain a better understanding of the mechanisms of the clearance of transuranium elements from liver of different mammals and man. Between 4 and 9 days after nuclide injection, a clear correlation between the majority of the 239Pu and lysosomal enzymes was observed when the mitochondrial-lysosomal (ML) fraction of the livers was analyzed by carrier-free electrophoresis. In the two hamster species, a second 239Pu peak exists from the beginning and increases with time to comprise 50% of the total radioactivity at later times. During electron microscopic examination 4 days after 241Pu injection, beta tracks were frequently observed over globular structures resembling dense bodies in Chinese hamster liver. They were also observed frequently over chromatin-rich portions of the cell nuclei. These results, together with those from previous density gradient studies, show that lysosomes are the primary deposition site for 239Pu in the liver cytoplasm of these three rodent species. The hypothesis of a morphologic transformation of these lysosomes with time in hamster liver and of rapid bulk exocytosis of the lysosomes in rats are still possible explanations for the extreme differences in the elimination among the three species.

Results of bone grafting after rigid fixation

Results of bone grafting in ten cases of primary mandibular reconstruction using rib grafts and 62 cases of secondary mandibular reconstruction using iliac bone grafts or rib transplants are reported. Two (20%) of the primary transplants were lost and one of the secondary transplants was totally lost and another was partially lost (3.2%) because of infection. All other transplants healed without infection. Pseudarthrosis was observed in 30% of the cases after primary reconstruction and in 15% of the cases after secondary reconstruction.

Cell-free translation of human liver apolipoprotein AI and AII mRNA. Processing of primary translation products

Human liver apolipoprotein AI and A II poly(A+) mRNA has been translated in the cell-free rabbit reticulocyte lysate system. The structures of the two primary translation products of these two main protein components of human serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) have been characterized. The products of the synthesis in vitro are preproapolipoproteins. The signal sequence (pre-sequence) of the primary translation product of human apo AI mRNA consists of 18 amino acids, that of apo AII of 17 amino acids. The cotranslational translocation into dog microsomal vesicles is associated with the cleavage of these sequences by the signal peptidase releasing the proapolipoproteins AI and AII, both extended by an N-terminal hexapeptide. Preproapolipoprotein AII is synthesized in its monomeric form consisting of 100 amino acids. Pro-apo AII is present in the vesicles of the endoplasmic reticulum also as monomer. Sequencing of the radiolabelled signal sequences of both pre-forms revealed their strongly hydrophobic nature. Despite the high affinity of HDL-apolipoproteins for complex lipids their secretion requires these hydrophobic signal sequences for translocation. Internal recognition sequences in the native apoproteins are not responsible for the transmembrane transport.

Reconstruction of bone and soft tissue in extensive facial defects

Autogenous iliac and rib grafts are used for the reconstruction of the maxilla and the mandible. Immobilization is assured by use of internal rigid fixation with reconstruction plates or lag screws; in the maxilla, miniplates may be used as well. An immediate reconstruction of chin defects is undertaken with a rib graft. For other defects of the mandible and maxilla, secondary reconstruction via an extraoral approach, without incision of the oral mucosa, is recommended to reduce the danger of infection as much as possible. Defects in facial soft tissue must be closed with local or distant flaps before bone transplantation is begun.

Studies on the biosynthesis of ceramide. Does the reversed ceramidase reaction yield ceramides?

During studies on the biosynthetic pathways of sphingomyelin, the condensation reaction between free fatty acids and sphingenine to ceramide catalysed in the reversed ceramidase reaction as proposed by Gatt (J. Biol. Chem. 238, PC 3131-3133 (1963) was reinvestigated. Radioactive long-chain fatty acids (palmitate and oleate) condense with ethanolamine, one of the buffer components of the original studies and yield N-acylethanolamine. N-Palmitoylethanolamine was isolated on a preparative scale from incubation mixtures and identified directly and also after derivatization by mass spectroscopy and comparison with the authentic synthetic compound. It is concluded that only the acyl-CoA-dependent ceramide synthesis is of biological significance.