[Animal experimental study on placental passage of testosterone. Experiments in dogs]

There are still open many questions concerning the diaplacentary effect of medicaments. This above all concerns the steroid hormones and their proper and possible conversion. The problems of the placental barrier as to the permeability for sexual hormones are discussed. In an experimental study in dogs may be proved that a male sexual hormone (TTP) given to a pregnant animal passes the placenta. For this pleads the significancy of the biological androgen proof.

Partial trisomy for short and long arm of chromosome no. 5: Two cases of two possible syndromes

We report 2 patients from different families with malformation-retardation syndromes caused by a partial trisomy of the long and of the short arm of chromosome 5, respectively (case 1: 46,XX,der(3),t(3;5)(p27;p13)mat; case 2: 46,XY,der(22),t(5;22)(q33;q13)pat). Several members of these families were balanced translocation carriers. Our cases are compared with those cited in the literature. The possibility of delineating a 5p- and a 5q-partial-trisomy syndrome is discussed.

[Partial trisomy for the distal part of the long arm of chromosome 15 due to a balanced maternal X/15 tranlsocation]

Partial trisomy for the distal part of 15q due to a balanced maternal translocation t(X;15) is described in a 21-month old girl with growth and psychomotor retardation and a cranio-facial dysmorphism ressembling that of a previously reported patient. Treatment of lymphocytes with BrdU has shown inactivation of the normal X in the mother, and inactivation of either the abnormal or the normal X in the proposita. When the abnormal X was inactivated, the extent of inactivation of the autosome was variable.

[Gestagen therapy in bladderneck adenoma. III. Clinicochemical findings and course controls in patients with bladderneck adenomas under gestagen therapy]

It is reported on clinico-chemical examinations in 30 carriers of adenomas, who underwent a gestagen therapy lasting 3 months. The treatment was performed in group I in 15 patients with progesterone depot and in group II with depostate. After the end of the treatment in group I an increase of the content of the sodium ions was found. The infections of the urinary tract improved. Neither in negative sense nor in positive sense an influence of the therapy on the other examination parameters was found.

Studies on the kinetics and renal excretion of low and high molecular weight dextrans in preterm babies, newborns and young infants

Administration of low and high molecular weight dextrans in the initial phase of shock is no longer controversial. The special conditions in newborns, however, have been insufficiently considered in planning therapy. This investigation aimed at determining the biological half-lives of dextran 40 (Rheomacrodex) and dextran 60 (Macrodex) in this age group. The half-life of dextran 40 was found to be 60 min and that of dextran 60 3 h. Preterm babies and newborns excrete up to 25% less dextran 40 and 60 in 24 h than infants and adults. Normal adult values for excretion are only reached towards the end of the first year of life.

[Vater or Vacterl syndrome (author's transl)]

Analysis of malformations in 65 newborns with limb anomalies, 39 with esophageal atresia with tracheoesophageal fistula, and 41 with anal atresia confirmed the nonrandom tendency for the defects of the VATER or VACTERL syndrome to associate together. 11 new patients with 4 or more of these anomalies were compared with 41 previously reported cases. There was good agreement with reference to the frequency of the major malformations noted in the VACTERL association. While anal atresia was not so common in our patients, cardiac anomalies and radial limb dysplasia occurred somewhat more frequently. In accordance with previous findings we also emphasize a single umbilical artery as one of the malformations in the spectrum of the VACTERL association (V = vertebral defects and vascular anomalies). Because of the high incidence of rib anomalies in our patients and in earlier cases with complete medical records it is suggested that the scope of the VACTERL association should be enlarged by this malformation. Thus the R in VACTERL would stand not only for renal defects but als for rib anomalies. Furthermore, the spectrum of anomalies could be extended by auricular defects (A = anal atresia and auricular defects). When one of these VACTERL components is found attention should be drawn to the possibility of the presence of the other associated anomalies. The developmentally correlated malformations seen in the VACTERL syndrome are generally sporadically observed. At the present time the etiology is unknown but heterogeneity is suggested. Although a causal relationship between maternal intake of progesteron/estrogen during the vulnerable period of embryogenesis and the VACTERL syndrome has been suggested, none of the mothers of our patients were exposed to these hormones during early pregnancy. Cytogenetic investigation in one patient and his mother showed a so-called marker chromosome 9 (C9qh+ variant) which is difficult to interpret at the present time.

[Detection of HBSAG in cerebrospinal fluid by means of a radioimmunoassay technique (author's transl)]

HBSAg was demonstrated radioimmunologically in cerebrospinal fluid in 7 out of 11 seropositive children with acute viral hepatitis B (1/2), fulminant viral hepatitis (0/1), chronic active hepatitis (2/4), chronic persistent hepatitis (1/1), cirrhosis (1/1), and asymptomatic carrier status (2/2). Counterelectrophoresis and complement fixation test lacked the necessary sensitivity to detect the antigen even in patients with high serum concentrations. The pass over of the cerebrospinal barrier appears to be dependent of the serum titer. Some neurologic symptoms in the early stage of acute viral hepatitis are probably connected with the appearance of HBSAg in cerebrospinal fluid. It is however unlikely that central-nervous-system dysfunctions observed in association with fulminant viral hepatitis and coma result from a direct effect of HBSAg or hepatitis B-virus. In chronic carriers the cerebrospinal fluid probably contains the antigen more frequent. The cerebrospinal fluid of HBSAg-positive patients has to be regarded as an infectious agent.

The possibilities and dangers of longterm infusion therapy in severely ill newborn and premature infants

The development of pediatric intensive medicine in the past 10 years has today made it possible to carry out specific longterm infusion therapy even in severely ill newborn and premature infants. The present study discusses the various technical possibilities and indications for the introduction of a caval catheter in newborn and premature infants. Although we only used a caval catheter for longterm parenteral nutrition in 9 newborn infants from 1965 to 1969, improved techniques have enabled us over the past 2 years to choose this method in 43 newborn and premature infants presenting with a wide variety of clinical conditions. We conclude that the use of caval catheters still requires a very strong indication.

Kinetic Model and Computer Simulation of Continuous Wave DF-CO(2) Chemical Transfer Lasers

A nonequilibrium model has been used to simulate successfully experimental data obtained on two different DF-CO(2) chemical transfer lasers. The sensitivity of the model to changes in the reaction rate constants, to mixing, and to F atom surface recombination has been investigated. The model was found to provide reasonable agreement with the known experimental facts relating to cw DF-CO(2) chain reaction laser flow fields. It was found that considerable simplification of the chemical model is possible at the sacrifice of some analytical precision.