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A large English family with autosomal dominant segregation of presenile dementia, ataxia and other neuropsychiatric features is described. Diagnoses of demyelinating disease, Alzheimer's disease, Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (CJD) and Gerstmann–Sträussler–Scheinker syndrome have been attributed to particular individuals at different times. An Irish family, likely to be part of the same kindred, is also described, in which diagnoses of multiple sclerosis, dementia, corticobasal degeneration and new variant CJD have been considered in affected individuals. Molecular genetic studies have enabled the classification of this disease at the molecular level as one of the group of inherited prion diseases, with the substitution of valine for alanine at codon 117 of the prion protein gene (PRNP). Only three other kindreds have been described world-wide with this mutation and only limited phenotypic information has been reported. Here we describe the phenotypic spectrum of inherited prion disease (PrPA117V). The diversity of phenotypic expression seen in this kindred emphasizes the logic of molecular classification of the inherited prion diseases rather than classification by specific clinicopathological syndrome. Indeed, inherited prion disease should be excluded by PRNP analysis in any individual presenting with atypical presenile dementia or neuropsychiatric features and ataxia, including suspected cases of new variant CJD.

A sensitive immunochemiluminometric assay with a detection limit of 1 · 1μU/L was developed for the measurement of urinary growth hormone (UGH). The assay was shown to be specific and precise. There was a good correlation between serum growth hormone (GH) and UGH concentrations in 20 patients with acromegaly and six volunteers following an intravenous injection of recombinant GH. We concluded therefore that UGH measurements appear to provide a satisfactory index of GH secretion. The use of the assay in the investigation of growth disorders was assessed. We studied 11 pre-pubertal children, six of normal stature, and five of short stature, over a 6-month period. Sequential fortnightly measurements of UGH were carried out and height velocity was determined. The children of short stature grew at a slower rate and excreted less GH than the children of normal stature. However, we observed considerable within-individual variability in GH excretion in both groups (CV 22–98%). We therefore recommend that sequential UGH analyses should be carried out and the results interpreted in conjunction with growth measurements. However, further investigations into the renal handling of GH are needed to establish optimum sampling regimes.

Molar excess enthalpies and volumes of the systems cyclopentane – cis-decalin and cyclopentane – trans-decalin at 25 °C were determined by direct calorimetric and dilatometric measurements. Excess Gibbs free energies, also at 25 °C, were obtained from a study of the vapor–liquid equilibria. The excess properties of these cyclopentane systems are compared with those of their cyclohexane counterparts, and are interpreted in terms of the theory of Flory.