Anatomic confirmation of echocardiographic measurements in neonatal hearts

Significant correlations were demonstrated between echocardiographic measurements of left ventricular wall thickness, right ventricular wall thickness, septal thickness, left ventricular mass, aortic valve excursion, pulmonary valve excursion, mitral valve excursion, and tricuspid valve excursion and the same measurements made directly on the same hearts at autopsy. A new regression formula was derived for the calculation of echocardiographic right ventricular mass in life and was found to correlate significantly with right ventricular mass measured as the sum of right ventricular wall and septal volumes at postmortem examination.

The effect of age on the character of immune complex disease: a comparison of the incidence and relative size of materials reactive with Clq in sera of patients with glomerulonephritis and cancer

The impact of aging on the severity of chronic immune-complex glomerulonephritis was studied in 144 patients from whom diagnostic renal biopsies were obtained over a 3-year period. Glomerulonephritis was related to an antecedent streptococcal infection in nine of these patients. In 58, glomerulonephritis occurred in association with a systemic disease; 27 of these had lupus erythematosus. At the time of the renal biopsy, serum creatinines were more frequently abnormal in men over 40 years of age. Similarly, histological evidence of irreversible glomerular injury was more evident in men over 40. Histological indices of renal glomerular injury correlated with the presence of intense fluorescent antibody reactions specific for C3 and C4 and IgG in the glomeruli. High serum Clq binding activities (Clq BA), an indication of the presence of circulating immune complexes, also were found significantly more often in males over 40. High serum Clq BA correlated with renal functional and biopsy evidence of severe glomerulonephritis. The renal biopsies in 89 cases were tested with fluorescein-conjugated heat-aggregated IgG (FAIgG) to determine how many contained focal immunoglobulin deposits with antiglobulin activity. Antiglobulins were detected in glomeruli of 24 patients and were found significantly more often in biopsies which revealed histological evidence of severe and irreversible histological injury. Binding of FAIgG was not selectively associated with any sex or age groups. Thus, detection of circulating immune complex-like materials in sera and the presence of glomerular deposits with antiglobulin activity were both features associated with severe glomerular injury. Both correlated with the quantity of complement deposited in the glomeruli. But only serum Clq binding activity was age and sex related. Similarly, in cancer patients, abnormal Clq BA were found more frequently in sera of older men with cancer but not in age- and sex-matched controls. Examination of selected sera by sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation revealed that the complexes from cancer patients were relatively small (less than 19S greater than 7S) whereas those in most nephritis patients were heterogeneous in size. Sera with relatively high Clq binding activity from patients with chronic glomerulonephritis tended to contain relatively greater quantities of Clq binding materials sedimenting more rapidly than 19S.

[Reproducibility of plaque formation in the dento-gingival region (3)]

Plaque formation in the lower front teeth was recorded in 12 volunteers during three periods of twelve daily visits. Special interest was paid to finding which areas always contained deposits and which were always completely free of plaques. The causative aspects of regular plaque formation were demonstrated. The predominant role of surface roughness is discussed. As a clinical consequence, testing the enamel surface with the sound is suggested for the prophylaxis of gingivitis and caries.

[Determination of surface morphological changes during therapy of gingivitis]

Changes in inflammatory gingival disease of the anterior dental area of the mandible caused by therapy are evaluated with the help of surface morphometric methods. The clinical diversities of the healthy and diseased gum can be presented by comparative consideration of the measurements. The relationship of the contour of the gum to tartar formation and capacity for retention of plaque are interpreted. The ratio of papillary to dental surface allows these findings to be incorporated into the physiomorphological or pathomorphological state.

[Reproductibility of plaque formation in the dento-gingival region (2)]

In 3 subjects with clinically healthy, physio-morphologic gingiva, the time factor in plaque growth was studied in 6 tests. Plaque was highly reproducible with regard to its surface dimensions and location. This holds true of both types of subject, those tending to form great amounts and those tending to form small amounts of plaque. The multi-causal process of plaque genesis is demonstrated in the tested mandibular region by the differences in plaque extent between the central and lateral incisors on the one hand and the canines on the other. The more a proband trends to form plaque, the bigger this difference is.

Unilateral pulmonary vein atresia: Diagnosis and treatment

The clinical, hemodynamic, angiographic and pathologic features of unilateral pulmonary vein atresia in a 16 month old boy are described. The relevant findings were symptoms and signs of influenza, roentgenographic evidence of unilateral diffuse interstitial edema, prominent interlobar fissures and pleural effusion, absence of abnormal cardiac structure and prominent unilateral bronchial circulation. Angiocardiography was necessary for a definitive diagnosis and revealed the lack of a site of entry for venous blood from the right lung into the circulation. The patient was treated successfully by a right pneumonectomy. The histologic hallmark in this case was extensive intimal fibrosis of the pulmonary veins.

Erythropoietic differentiation in colonies of cells transformed by Friend virus

Cells transformed by Friend virus in liquid suspension culture respond to low concentrations of dimethylsulfoxide by initiating hemoglobin synthesis. The kinetics of appearance of such differentiated erythroid cells is consistent with either the induction of differentiation in a uniformly susceptible population of transformed cells or selection for the growth of a distinct erythropoietic subpopulation. The dimethylsulfoxide response of individual colonies of cells transformed by Friend virus grown in semisolid medium was studied in order to distinguish between these alternatives. The data do not support a selective effect of dimethylsulfoxide on the growth of a unique erythropoietic subpopulation; they indicate, rather, that the 745A strain of cells transformed by Friend virus consists of a relatively uniform population of dimethylsulfoxide-sensitive erythropoietic cells.

Die Dispersion des Kerr-Effektes. V

The definition of a complex Kerr constant follows from the description of the interaction of light with molecules in an electrostatic field. The treatment is based on the time-dependent perturbation theory, assuming a quasi continuum of librational states of the molecules concerned.

The Kramers-Kronig relation for the Kerr effect and the electrochromism is deduced from the complex Kerr constant. The results are compared with the measurement of the Kerr effect of one azamerocyanine. For a number of molecules the amplitude of the optical polarizability and of the hyperpolarizability B is calculated for the long wavelength absorption band.