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About thirty years ago T. BARANOV developed a theory of exploitation of fish stock, entitled “On the question of the biological basis of fisheries”*. Recently Prof. W. E. RICKER translated this paper into English. Denoting by the letter n the abundance of any group of fish and by the letter t time, he assumed that the decrease dn in the number of fish in the small time dt is proportional to the abundance of that groun and put dn/dt=-k1n…… (1). Following to the results of Heincke he assumed that the increase of length of fish is proportional to time (t) and put t=rl…… (3). From equations (1) and (3), after integrating, we have the relation n=n0e-kl…… (4), where the coefficient k=k1r is called the coefficient of decrease. In Japan, Spring Herring are caught in the Hokkaido District from 3 age group to 8 age group. Since 1910 Hokkaido Fishery Experiment Station has published the statistcs of the catch of herring for each year and the age composition of herring which calculated from the scales. The growth of herring of each age was determined by KAWAT using the scales of age 8 herrings, Tsuda had published the wean body weight of herring of each age. From these data I have made Table 1, from which we know that the increase of body length in each age is not constant and growth curve will be represented more correctly by the Logistic curve. From Table 1, as the number of fish is decreasing exponentially after 5 age, we can obtain the following values of constant. M=33.33, a=0.246, b=0.448, k=1.12, αk=0.307…(*). From equation. (13) we obtain the decreasing rate ψ=1-ak…… (16), where α=(M-l2)/(M-l1) and l1 and l2 are body length for age t1 and t2. Table 1 show that body length of age 3 is l1 ?? 24cm. and that of age 4 is l2 ?? 27cm, hence α=0.675 and ?? =0.355. Similarly from age 2 to age 3, ?? =0.33. The number R of fish of commercial size (that is, fish whose length is greater than L ) is given by the integral (17) and (18), where L/M=β, 0

The purposes of this study were a) to investigate the relationship between grip strength and the measures of age, height, weight, and the personality traits revealed by the Comrey Personality and Attitude Factor Scales and b) to assess the influence of heredity on height, weight, and grip strength. Fifty-eight pairs of twins (MZ, 30 and DZ, 28) served as subjects. Pearson product moment correlations revealed that weight appeared to be the best predictor of grip strength. When age was partialed out by standard score transformation, weight was no longer the best predictor. It was concluded that age was the best predictor of strength for both males and females. Results also showed that personality was not an important function of the grip strength score. Significant heritability coefficients were found for the factors of height, weight, and grip strength, although not all coefficients reached statistical significance for both sexes. (Four tables of statistical data and two pages of statistical formulas are included along with two pages of references.) (Author/BRB)

While one of us (E. B. C., '31) was investigating the action of ultraviolet rays on the embryos of Lintax flavus Linnaeus, it was noticed that some batches of eggs were so dehydrated that they were wrinkled or had depressions in them. This condition prevailed if the eggs were laid in a dry or moderately damp receptacle. These eggs, however, would hatch if placed in a moist container. Khalil ('22) found that Planorbis corners were quite susceptible to drying, being killed in five hours when in a jelly-like mass. Adolph and Adolph ('25) placed Lumbricus terrestris in a 0.I36 M solution of sodium chloride for twenty hours and found that the worms would recover after a 35 per cent loss in weight. Jackson ('26) also, working on Lumbricus terrestris. found that they would live, after losing 43 per cent of their original weight in four to five hours, when placed on dry filter paper. Jackson found that they would die if they lost 50 to 6o per cent of their weight. Since the eggs of Limnax flavus Linnaeus hatched after being dehydrated enough to show a definite depression, we decided to perform a series of experiments to determine the maximum loss in weight which the young would survive and still be able to hatch. The eggs are fastened together by means of a membrane and thus all are laid at once. The slugs do not move while laying; hence the eggs become superimposed and are able to retain their moisture for a longer period than single eggs. The eggs varied considerably in weight: the maximum being 97.49 milligrams and the minimum being 5I.i6 milligrams. The average weight for I,200 eggs was found to be 78.7I milligrams. The eggs are elliptical in shape, the average diameter being about 0.5 centimeter and the average length being about 0.75 centimeter. They are covered with a rather tough membrane, which allows them to be moved on dry filter paper without being ruptured. A vitilline membrane surrounds the embryo, and this membrane is surrounded by a semi-fluid gelatinous mass, which resembles egg white. These experiments were conducted at room temperature (20 to 300 C.). The slug eggs, containing embryos from one to twenty-two days old, were weighed and subjected to dehydration. The eggs were placed on clean dry filter paper, the drying process lasting from two to seven hours. The eggs were weighed at the end of definite periods and placed in Petri dishes on moist filter paper. The weights given in this paper are averages in all cases.

The excretion of 13 individual adrenocortical metabolites in the urine of 21 obese children aged 7 months to 16 years is reported. Fractionation of the steroids was carried out on 24-hour samples of urine by paper chromatography using Bush systems and incorporating a radioactive steroid recovery technique. The excretion of the 17-hydroxycorticosteroids and of the α-ketolic metabolites of cortisol and corticosterone exceeded that of normal children studied in the same manner. These differences persisted when the results were corrected for surface area but were eliminated by correction for body weight. The raised corticosteroid excretion in obese children is therefore related to the increased weight. In addition the excessive calorie intake enhances the hepatic metabolism of cortisol leading to an increased corticosteroid excretion. The excretion of the 17-oxosteroids and 11-deoxygenated-17-oxosteroids exceeded that of normal children. Before puberty these steroids represent the adrenal androgens, and the raised excretion in the obese children was associated with an advanced bone age. The early onset of puberty in obesity may be related to the increased body weight, but it is suggested that the increased adrenal androgen secretion may stimulate early maturation of the hypothalamic centre controlling the onset of puberty.

1. Guinea-pigs on a low, controlled intake of ascorbic acid (0.3 mg/100 g body-weight) were given daily an oral supplement of L-ascorbic acid (AA) or of D-isoascorbic acid (isoAA) (both 1.5 mg/100 g body-weight). The AA was deposited in the tissues, the isoAA was not.2. Intramuscularly administered isoAA was deposited in the tissues but not to the same extent as equivalent amounts of intramuscularly administered AA.3. Paper chromatography confirmed that intramuscularly administered isoAA was deposited in the tissues as isoAA, i.e. there was no conversion into AA.4. It is concluded that in guinea-pigs (a)AA is absorbed from the gastro-intestinal tract much more readily than isoAA and (b)AA is either more readily abstracted from the blood or is more readily retained by the tissues or both, than is isoAA.

This paper reports a double-blind trial of a new antianginal drug, perhexiline. Fifty-five patients suffering from angina pectoris were studied for periods of 12 or 24 weeks in a cross-over comparison against a placebo in four centres in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Perhexiline was effective in most patients as judged by reducing the number of anginal attacks in 84% and the consumption of glyceryl trinitrate tablets in 64%. The major side effect, dizziness, noted in one-third of the patients, may be dose/body-weight related. Perhexiline is a valuable new agent for the treatment of patients with angina, especially those who do not respond to other antianginal agents.

Hyponatraemia was observed in 11 out of 14 consecutive patients with acute myeloid leukaemia and its variants. Metabolic studies on these patients revealed an early increase in the urinary sodium excretion, negative free water clearance, and urine osmolality inappropriately higher than that of the serum. It is postulated that this syndrome is caused by a substance released from the primitive cells of the abnormal myeloid series.

Daily weight loss measurements in 76 fasting, obese patients (58 females, 18 males) have shown a characteristic pattern of rapid loss initially (up to day 14) followed by a slower but uniform reduction in weight. There were significant sex differences. Measurements of tissue breakdown showed that the initial rapid weight loss was due to the continuing utilization by the nervous system of glucose derived from lean tissue. This requirement fell noticeably from the second week of starvation. Irreversible fluid elimination also contributed to the initial phase of rapid weight loss. Fat remained the primary source of energy throughout starvation and in established fasting (more than 14 days) contributed 96% of that requirement.

The urinary excretion of corticosteroids (17-oxogenic steroids) and adrenal androgens (11-deoxy-17-oxosteroids) was studied in women below the age of 50 in a variety of clinical situations for comparison with a normal group. The conditions studied were: chronic debility from non-malignant disease, weight reduction, admission to hospital and surgery for varicose veins, hepatic non-malignant disease, and non-mammary cancer. The objective of the study was to determine whether the changes found in early and advanced breast cancer and used to judge the prognosis of the disease are specific to the disease or are merely incidental to the degree of illness caused by the disease. Similar changes to those found in breast cancer—principally a reduction in the excretion of the androgens—were found in the women with severe hepatic disease and in advanced non-mammary cancer. These were also found to follow the effects of severe surgical stress. It is concluded that the changes found in breast cancer are a measure of the general systemic disturbance caused by the disease and are not due specifically to it. Nevertheless, the value of their prognostic significance remains unchallenged.

Potassium and sodium concentrations and their ratios, and Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin Concentrations were estimated in the blood of 469 sheep of three breeds and their crosses. Some breed differences were statistically significant but cross breed values were like the means of the parental breeds. Estimates for the effects of the genotypes Ka (potassium level) and Hb (haemoglobin type), breeding, age, sex and management, and sample batch were isolated. The haemoglobin genotypes influenced the MCHC through variation in packed cell volume. The potassium genotypes had no such effect. After adjustment the estimates for red cell sodium were shown to be complementary to estimates for red cell potassium.

Thermal, metabolic, and circulatory responses were studied in six hill-walkers taking part in a 28-mile (45-km.) walk in rough country in autumn and winter, air temperatures being 6 to 12 degrees C. and -2 to 2 degrees C., respectively.Though they were an apparently well-matched party, the walkers had to split into three pairs to avoid exhaustion. They adjusted their clothing so that mean skin temperatures were similar in both warm and cold conditions, the average value being 30.5 degrees C. compared with the resting comfort range of 33 to 34.5 degrees C. When, on the winter trial, skin temperatures were lowered by reduction of clothing, mean skin temperatures fell to 26.5 to 27.8 degrees C., one subject showing a value of 21.3 degrees C. These temperatures were associated with moderate discomfort from cold.Gut temperatures during exercise, measured with a radio pill, averaged 38.7 to 37.9 degrees C. on the autumn exercise. Slightly lower values were observed in winter, but this was associated with slower walking rather than cold stress. A fat and a thin subject walking together with minimal clothing showed widely different temperature responses, the fatter subject having a lower skin temperature and higher gut temperature than his companion. These results were compared with other results on extreme cold stress and discussed in relation to hypothermia. Heart rate and blood pressure findings were unremarkable, except for increased post-exercise heart rates and standing/lying heart rate differences, and a tendency to postural hypotension associated with exhaustion. Blood volume was not reduced in exhaustion and there were no significant changes in blood electrolytes or other constituents apart from a small rise in potassium. Ketonuria developed in all subjects.

Se llevó a cabo un estudio con las selecciones de plátanos Guayamero y Maricongo para determinar los cambios físicos y químicos que tienen lugar en la fruta mientras se desarrolla en la mata. Se determinó el peso promedio de la fruta, el largo, el tamaño de la sección transversal, la textura de la pulpa y la razón entre el peso de la pulpa y el de la cáscara, en las frutas de cada mano de los racimos que se cosecharon a distintos intervalos de tiempo, después de la florecida. También se determinó el contenido de almidón y azúcares totales y reductoras, la acidez total, y el pH en las frutas de la tercera mano. El análisis estadístico de los datos que se obtuvieron al medir las frutas de la tercera mano del racimo, revelan que existe una correlación significativa entre la edad de la fruta y la textura, así como entre la edad y la razón de pulpa a cáscara. En los plátanos Maricongo se observó una correlación significativa a un nivel de probabilidad del 5 por ciento, entre el peso promedio de la fruta y la edad, pero esta misma relación no pudo establecerse con los plátanos Guayameros. Según madura la fruta, va adquiriendo una forma más redonda y los filos son menos pronunciados. Sin embargo, debido a que la apariencia de la sección transversal de la fruta no es uniforme, aun en las frutas cosechadas a una misma edad, no fue posible correlacionar las medidas de los diámetros de la sección transversal con la edad. No se observaron cambios de importancia en la composición química de la fruta al analizarse. La calidad y la apariencia de los tostones que se prepararon de la fruta cosechada a distintas edades y congelada, varió según la edad. El producto de mejor calidad fue el que se preparó de la fruta que permaneció más en la mata. También se observó que el rendimiento de productos elaborados es mayor cuando la fruta se cosecha después de alcanzar un desarrollo avanzado. Esto se debe a que a medida que la fruta se desarrolla, aumenta el porcentaje de pulpa mientras disminuye el de cáscara. Toda vez que tanto la calidad como el rendimiento de los productos que se elaboran del plátano dependen del estado de desarrollo de la fruta al cosecharse, la fruta que se destina a la elaboración debe cosecharse todavía verde, pero bien desarrollada.

Several different culture media were tested for their effect on weight and viability of earthworms ( Lumbricus terrestris). A medium containing pulverized newspaper, pelletted rabbit food, walnut meal, peanut oil, topsoil and coffee grounds supported life and growth for 62 weeks, and improved the condition of degenerated worms.

The increased susceptibility of infants fed on cows' milk preparations has been attributed, at least in part, to differences in the nature of the large-bowel content—owing to the acidity of the faeces and their high content of Lactobacillus bifidus. In an attempt to mimic these features of the breastfed infant in one who is fed artificially, a breast milk substitute was devised which resembles breast milk in several important ways. When this material was fed to newborn infants the faeces developed the characteristics of those of the breast-fed child.

Follow-up of 33 patients with idiopathic splenomegaly, 25 for a period ranging from 14 to 80 months after starting treatment with proguanil 100 mg. daily, showed that there was an excellent response of the splenomegaly, anaemia, and hepatomegaly, together with a definite gain in weight. Every patient improved, though a maximum result was not attained until after at least one year9s treatment. Therapy with proguanil is considered superior to and safer than splenectomy. Malaria seems unlikely to have a causal role in the aetiology of the disease, which is probably a manifestation of a disorder of the normal immune mechanism. Idiopathic splenomegaly has a close relation with the type of chronic lymphatic leukaemia seen in Nigeria, and it is possible that the two diseases have a similar aetiological factor.

Three experiments were to study and improve the nutritional value of dried beet pulp for its efficient utilization in the rations of dairy cows and sheep. In the first experiment, 3 digestion and metabolism trials were conducted with 8 wether lambs to study the nutrient digestibility and energy utilization of rations containing 4 levels of beet pulp as a replacement for corn in the control ration. The control ration contained 60% corn and no beet pulp. In 3 experimental rations, 50, 75 or 100% of the corn in the control ration was replaced by beet pulp, keeping the proportion of other ingredients constant. No significant difference was observed in the digestibility of dry matter, energy and crude protein among the treatments. Crude fiber of the beet pulp was highly digestible and ration digestibility increased at each increase in pulp. Metabolizable energy of the rations did not change due to incorporation of beet pulp and the average value as percent of gross energy was 71. Thus beet pulp energy was as well utilized as corn when it was incorporated up to 60% in the ration. A lactation trial involving 8 cows in a switchback design was conducted in a second experiment to study the feeding value of beet pulp for milk production. A control ration containing 57% barley was compared with an experimental ration containing 55% beet pulp. When the cows were fed the concentrate ration along with 4kg of alfalfa hay, no significant difference was observed in change of body weight or fat-corrected milk production. The results of the third experiment indicated that when 4% fat was added to a fat deficient ration containing 50% beet pulp, milk yield increased significantly by 7.5%.

A survey of feeding patterns and nutrient intake in relation to the growth of 300 normal infants up to 1 year of age in Dudley, Worcestershire, highlights a problem of overnutrition in the group; 50 (16.7%) were found to be suffering from infantile obesity and a further 83 (27.7%) were overweight.During the first three months of life the daily energy intakes of 136 cal/kg body weight for boys and 149 for girls were markedly greater than the level of 120/kg recommended by the Department of Health and Social Security. This coincided with the early addition of solid foods to a full milk intake. 119 babies (39.7%) were offered solids before they were 4 weeks old and 280 (93.3%) before 13 weeks of age. Some babies had solids from the first week after birth. Protein intake was persistently high throughout the first year, and the mean intake of 32.7 g/day was much greater than the intake of 20 g for infants aged up to 1 year recommended by the Department of Health. Standards for fat and carbohydrate intake are not available but in comparison with the levels reported in breast-fed babies intake of fat and carbohydrate was high in the first three months and came closer to the desired level for the former and remained slightly high for the latter in the subsequent age quarters.The relation of childhood and subsequent adult obesity to infant feeding patterns is not yet clear, but there is a high correlation between obese parents and obese and overweight babies; had these babies not been overfed the condition might have been prevented.

Nineteen identical (monozygotic) and 20 fraternal (dizygotic) sets of twins between 45 and 51 years of age were given nortriptyline orally in doses of 0·2 mg./kg. body weight three times daily for eight days. The steady-state plasma concentrations of nortriptyline were calculated from the mean of the determinations for days 6, 7, and 8. Identical twins, not treated with other drugs, achieved similar steady-state plasma concentrations of nortriptyline in contrast to fraternal twins who were not given other drugs. The intrapair similarity in steady-state plasma concentrations was not found in identical twins simultaneously treated with various drugs during the experiment. Identical and fraternal twins treated with drugs containing barbiturates had considerably lower steady-state plasma concentrations of nortriptyline compared with untreated twins. It is concluded that most of the variability in nor-triptyline steady-state plasma concentration between persons who have not received drugs is genetically determined. Exposure to other drugs also influences the steady-state plasma concentration of nortriptyline, which in a given patient may therefore be determined by a resultant of genetic and environmental factors.

Summary In a reversal experiment consisting of three 10-week trials, the relative feeding value of wet and dry beet pulp for milk and butterfat production was determined. Eight cows were used in each of the first two trials and ten cows were used in the third trial. During each trial the cows were divided into two equal groups. One group received wet beet pulp while the other group received dry pulp. The groups were reversed at the end of the first five weeks. The total milk and butterfat production was slightly higher for the cows while receiving dry pulp. The 26 cows produced 23,369.7 pounds of milk and 760.03 pounds of butterfat while being fed dry pulp, as compared with 23,307.0 pounds of milk and 747.80 pounds of butterfat while receiving the wet pulp. The average daily production per cow while receiving dry pulp was 32.10 pounds of milk and 1.044 pounds of butterfat, as compared with 32.01 pounds of milk and 1.027 pounds of butterfat while receiving the wet pulp. The butterfat percentage was slightly higher while the cows were receiving dry pulp. The average butterfat percentage was 3.25 while on dry pulp, and 3.21 while on wet pulp. Seventeen of the 26 cows tested higher while receiving dry pulp, one cow tested the same on both wet and dry pulp, and eight cows tested higher while receiving the wet pulp. The cows consumed slightly more water while receiving wet pulp. The average daily water consumption per cow was 104.2 pounds on wet pulp, and 102.3 pounds on dry pulp. The average gain in body weight was slightly greater for the cows receiving dry pulp. The average gain per cow was 14.3 pounds while receiving the dry pulp, and 8.9 pounds while receiving the wet pulp. It was found from an average of several feedings that more than twice as much time was required for preparing and feeding a group of five cows wet pulp as was required for feeding the same number of cows dry pulp.

Measures of subjective feeling used by five patients indicated that depression of mood occurred about four days after fenfluramine withdrawal. An experiment in which another 11 patients took fenfluramine 80 mg for 28 days confirmed the depression, maximal on the fourth withdrawal day. It also indicated that in the first week of administration there was some mood elevation, but with feelings of impaired ability to concentrate. The drug reduced appetite and weight. A comparison is drawn with imipramine, which was found to induce initial and withdrawal changes of subjective experience (of dreaming) in six volunteers. It is suggested that certain mood-influencing drugs may not be drugs of abuse because of some unpleasant initial effects, though they can be drugs of dependence.

Al revisar la literatura no se encontró información alguna sobre las condiciones más adecuadas para pelar la papaya usando soluciones de soda cáustica. Los experimentos realizados con otras frutas y vegetales sugirieron la conveniencia de investigar este aspecto del problema para determinar las relaciones correctas entre la concentración de la soda cáustica y el tiempo de inmersión requerido para pelar la fruta. En este trabajo se usó un tanque rectangular de acero, dividido en el medio para formar dos cámaras. Una de las cámaras contenía la solución de soda cáustica y la otra, el agua para el lavado de la fruta tratada con soda. El tanque tenía una cabida máxima funcional para 17 galones de solución. Para el lavado de la papaya, la fruta se vació en un canasto de acero perforado, el canasto se sumergió luego en la cámara que contenía la solución de soda en ebullición y al terminar el tiempo prescrito para la inmersión, el canasto se sacó y se sumergió inmediatamente en la cámara con agua fría, donde fue que se removió la cáscara digerida por la soda. La papaya (Carica papaya L.) que se usó en estos experimentos se obtuvo de un predio experimental sembrado en la Subestación de Gurabo y de plantaciones comerciales en el área de Isabela. Es bueno señalar que las variedades comerciales que se siembran actualmente en Puerto Rico no son de un tipo fijo, pues varían en tamaño, forma, color y espesor de la pulpa. El peso promedio de las frutas que se usaron fluctuó entre 3 y 5 libras. Los resultados obtenidos de estos experimentos indican que cuando se pelan las papayas verdes y enteras es una solución de soda cáustica, debe aplicarse uno de los tres tratamientos siguientes: Inmersión durante 6 minutos en una solución en ebullición de soda cáustica al 10 por ciento; inmersión durante 4 minutos en una solución en ebullición de soda cáustica al 15 por ciento; o inmersión por 3 minutos en una solución en ebullición de soda cáustica al 20 por ciento, por peso. La pérdida que se atribuye a la cáscara en cada uno de los tres tratamientos recomendados fue de 14.2, 11.6 y 11.5 por ciento, por peso, respectivamente. Los cambios en la acidez que pueden evaluarse y en la dureza de la pulpa de la papaya pelada con una solución de legía coinciden con los valores obtenidos para la pulpa de papaya pelada a mano. Existe una relación óptima entre el volumen de la solución de legía y el peso de la papaya a pelarse. Los mejores resultados se obtuvieron cuando se trató la fruta a razón de 1 libra por galón de solución de soda cáustica. Las pruebas que se llevaron a cabo demuestran que la pérdida en el peso de la fruta que puede atribuirse a los tallos y semillas representa aproximadamente un 9 por ciento.

A daily infusion of 500-1,000 ml of 50% glucose containing 100-120 units of soluble insulin and 100-120 mEq of potassium chloride per litre was given to six patients suffering from hyponatraemia and congestive cardiac failure resistant to digoxin and diuretic therapy. In two patients there was no response, but four showed a striking improvement with a sodium and water diuresis, a rise in plasma sodium level, and in two cases a reversion from atrial fibrillation to sinus rhythm. It is suggested that insulin, glucose, and potassium given by the intravenous route in adequate dosage forms a useful adjunct to the management of severe congestive heart failure.

A large-scale survey of steel workers in South Wales has shown a considerable difference between the body weights of smokers and of non-smokers. The difference increases with age so that men over 40 years who have never smoked are on average 13 lb (5·9 kg) heavier than smokers. Even so, smokers are about 15 lb (6·8 kg) heavier than the weight standard considered desirable by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, while non-smokers are nearly 30 lb (13·6 kg) heavier. About 20% of the men are attempting to give up the smoking habit. Ex-smokers who have given up smoking for more than eight years approach the body weight of men of the same age who have never smoked. Many reports have been published on the health consequences of smoking and of obesity. Because smoking and obesity are inversely related studies of the interrelation of these two health hazards and of their relative importance are needed.

Blood pressure, plasma renin activity, plasma sodium concentration, plasma potassium concentration, dietary sodium intake, and duration of dialysis have been measured under standard conditions in 89 patients on maintenance haemodialysis. No significant relation was found between plasma renin activity and blood pressure. Statistically significant correlations were found between plasma renin activity and plasma sodium concentration and between plasma renin activity and dietary sodium intake. Only one patient was found to have uncontrollable hypertension associated with a markedly raised plasma renin activity. Reasons are given for not performing bilateral nephrectomy in this patient. We believe the low incidence of uncontrollable hypertension and hyperreninaemia in our patients to be due to their slow introduction to haemodialysis, thus preventing violent swings in body weight, blood pressure, and renin secretion. Although plasma renin activity did fall with duration of dialysis, all 15 patients who have been on maintenance dialysis for longer than five years have normal levels.

Peeling of citron (Citrus medica L.) by means of boiling lye-solutions was investigated. Good peeling resulted without need for hand-trimming when mature green citrons were subjected to any of the following: 6 minutes in a 10-percent, 5 minutes in a 15-percent, 3 minutes in a 20-percent, and 2 minutes in a 25-percent boiling lye solution. The average weight loss as peel under each of the above treatments was 19.4-, 19.0-, 19.6-, and 17.5- percent, respectively. For an acceptable operation tolerating some peel tissue remaining in the final product, the exposure/concentration ratio can be 5 minutes in 10-percent, 4 minutes in 15-percent, 2 minutes in 20-percent, and 1 minute in 25-percent boiling lye solution, with a corresponding increase in pulp yield which varied from 2.7 to 6.7 percent in these experiments. An increase in the time of exposure to lye-solutions increased the pH and decreased titrable acidity and color. No relationship was found between weight of fruit and volume of lye-solution necessary for good peeling. Citrons are peeled adequately when the solution or its foam makes contact with the fruit during treatment.

A sample of 315 asthmatic children, representative of the whole range of asthma in childhood, and a control group of 82 children were studied clinically and physiologically from 7 to 14 years of age. The asthmatic children were arbitrarily classified into four grades according to the relative frequency and persistence of their asthma to 14 years of age. Each of these grades could be more clearly defined on analysis of other clinical and physiological characteristics. The characteristics of severe persistent asthma were: onset usually in the first three years of life, a high frequency of attacks in the initial year, clinical and physiological evidence of persisting airways obstruction and pulmonary hyperinflation, chest deformity, and impairment of growth. By contrast, mild asthma usually began later in childhood, was episodic, and there was little or no evidence of airways obstruction between attacks. The attacks generally stopped before 10 years of age. In between these two extremes were two intermediate grades. The clinical and physiological characteristics of each grade of asthma at 14 years of age were usually evident by 10 years, and in the most severe grade by 7 years of age. These characteristics provide a sound basis for assessment, management, and prognosis.

Interview or questionnaire response as a measure of health or medical status has usually been validated by tests of agreement with physicians' evaluations of the same subjects at a point in time. The self-reporting of symptoms has been used and tested as a screening-type index of the medical diagnoses which would have been obtained, given the more expensive and definitive set of procedures of professional history, physical examination, and laboratory tests. In survey circumstances, symptoms have been found to be of poor validity as surrogate measures of disease.

The results of a previous study of the use of oral contraceptives by married women discharged from hospital with a diagnosis of thromboembolic disease in the years 1964-6 were reported by us last year. The present paper adds results relating to patients discharged during 1967 and a few data, that could not be sought previously, for patients discharged with cerebral or coronary thrombosis from three of the hospitals in the earlier period.Of 84 patients with deep-vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism 42 (50%) had used oral contraceptives during the month preceding the onset of their illness, while only 23 of the 168 controls (14%) had done so. No differences in risk were found either for the types of preparation or for the duration of use. After allowance for age and height, the patients with venous thromboembolism were about 10 lb. (4,535 g.) heavier than the control patients, irrespective of whether they were using oral contraceptives or not. No appreciable difference was found between the smoking habits of patients with and without venous thromboembolism treated during 1967, nor between women who were using oral contraceptives and those who were not. The trend in hospital admissions for venous thromboembolism with time corresponded to the trend in the use of oral contraceptives, and there was no evidence to suggest that the number of admissions was affected by publicity about the risk of using the preparations. Of 19 patients with cerebral thrombosis 11 (58%) had been using oral contraceptives, compared with an expected figure of 3.5 from the experience of the control subjects. All the published data (clinical, angiographic, and post-mortem) show that the thrombosis affects the cerebral arteries rather than the cerebral veins. Of 17 patients with coronary thrombosis 2 (12%) had been using oral contraceptives, compared with an expected figure of 2.1. The patients with coronary thrombosis smoked more than the control patients and were, on average, 8.3 lb. (3,765 g.) heavier than control women of the same age and height.The new evidence strengthens the belief that oral contraceptives are a cause of venous thromboembolism and cerebral thrombosis but does not indicate that they are a cause of coronary thrombosis.

A group of 28 uraemic patients on dialysis treatment were given daily supplements of histidine by mouth. Plasma amino-acid concentration, plasma iron, serum transferrin, packed cell volume, and reticulocyte count were all measured before and after two months of histidine supplementation. The treatment raised the plasma histidine concentration and at the same time there was a rise in transferrin and iron levels and packed cell volume. Reticulocyte counts fell after two months of histidine supplementation.

Seven patients with anorexia nervosa were studied, three during the acute stages of the illness, and four in whom weight gain had been achieved, but who suffered from persistent amenorrhoea of 18 to 79 months' duration.In the acute stage all patients had low serum luteinizing hormone (LH) levels which were unresponsive to clomiphene citrate. In those who had regained weight the mean basal LH levels were normal, and they responded to clomiphene with an initial doubling of serum LH during administration of the drug, followed by a second peak of serum LH four to seven days after the drug was stopped. Menstruation occurred in these patients 13 to 19 days after the clomiphene was discontinued, and in two patients regular spontaneous menstruation was initiated.The low LH levels unresponsive to clomiphene in the acute stage provide evidence for a hypothalamic abnormality in anorexia nervosa. After regain of body weight the drug seems to be effective in treating the amenorrhoea which may be persistent.

Hypoglycaemic agents were replaced by placebos in diabetic patients attending a hospital clinic. Of 62 patients observed, 43 (69%) relapsed within six months but blood sugar control remained unchanged in 19 (31%) during the period of observation.

A prospective study has been carried out of placental lactogen levels in pregnancy complicated by diabetes mellitus. The levels were higher than those in normal pregnant subjects; the higher levels were related to increased placental and fetal weight but more closely to the former; and lower levels were found when there was clinical evidence of placental dysfunction. Those patients requiring the largest insulin increment for the control of their diabetes in the pregnancy have placental lactogen levels in the higher range.

The results are reported of a preliminary trial of P1496, a new non-steroidal oestrogen analogue, compared with a conjugated equine oestrogen and a placebo. The oestrogenicity of both substances was well substantiated by vaginal epithelial maturation indices. P1496 was superior to conjugated equine oestrogen in producing a significant reduction of plasma calcium levels and a possible reduction in serum cholesterol. Conjugated oestrogen caused slightly more nausea than P1496 but there were no notable side effects from either drug. P1496 is considered to be at least as effective an oestrogenic substance as conjugated oestrogen and worthy of further therapeutic evaluation.

Small-intestinal deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) loss rates were measured in six patients with Strongyloides stercoralis hyperinfestation, in four patients with hookworm disease, and in eight normal controls. In the four patients with strongyloidiasis having weight loss, hypoproteinaemia, and oedema the mean DNA loss rates were 73·9, 51·6, 58·0, and 62·2 ng atoms DNA-P/min respectively, which was significantly higher than that of patients with hookworm disease (mean 17·3, S.D. 6·6) or in eight control subjects (mean 14·5, S.D. 7·5). In two of three patients with strongyloidiasis the high DNA loss rates fell to normal after treatment, and in two others investigated only after treatment the rates were normal. It is suggested that the high epithelial cell turnover in these patients may result in excessive loss of endogenous substances and that this may be an important mechanism in causing malnutrition and hypoproteinaemia in patients with S. stercoralis hyperinfestation.

The effect of a slowly released oral preparation of sodium chloride (Slow Sodium) on the frequency and severity of muscle cramps, on blood pressure, and on body weight was compared with that of placebo in a double-blind cross-over trial in 19 patients on maintenance haemodialysis for end-stage renal failure. A significant reduction in both the frequency and severity of cramps was found while the patients were receiving the sodium chloride preparation and no significant alteration in blood pressure or body weight was detected.

Sulphadimidine acetylation studies were undertaken in 103 patients, 52 of whom had been classified as slow and 51 as rapid inactivators of isoniazid by a standard microbiological assay method. Each patient received sulphadimidine by mouth in a dose of 44 mg./kg. body weight, and free and total sulphadimidine were estimated in blood and urine collected at six hours. The findings suggest that patients may be classified as slow inactivators of isoniazid if the proportion of acetylated sulphadimidine (total minus free) is (a) less than 25% in blood or (b) less than 70% in urine. The sulphadimidine test is easy to perform and the result is available the same day; urine specimens for the test can be stored at room temperature for over a week without any loss of drug.

The plasma glucose, immunoreactive insulin, and growth hormone levels after a 50-g oral glucose load have been measured in 15 adult Bushmen subjects living in the Kalahari region of Southern Africa. Compared with 10 non-obese white controls, they showed relative glucose intolerance and significantly impaired insulin secretion. Growth hormone responses showed no significant differences between the two groups. Factors such as inadequate or unusual nutrition and stress do not appear to account completely for the abnormalities in carbohydrate metabolism observed in the Bushmen. Of interest are the clinical and hormonal similarities that seem to exist between the Bushmen and the Central African Pygmies.

Milk yields, fat percentages, and body weight gains were equally as good on a concentrate mixture containing 30% of soybran flakes as on mixtures having equal amounts of citrus pulp, or oats. When fed as the only source of feed to three cows in late lactation, soybran flakes prevented depression of fat tests, but did not maintain milk yields. Soybran flakes had a TDN value of 71.7% and a crude fiber digestibility of 83.8% when fed to steers in a ration containing two parts soybran flakes to one part hay. When fed alone to dairy cows, these values were 64.8 and 70.9%, respectively. It is concluded that soybran flakes can satisfactorily be used in dairy cattle rations and are about equal in feeding value to citrus pulp and oats.

Plasma osmolality was measured in 60 healthy infants aged 1 to 3 months. The mean plasma osmolality in the 14 breast-fed infants (group A) was 284·3 mOsm/1. Nine infants fed artificial milk formulae alone (group B) had a mean value of 293·8 mOsm/1.; 37 infants already receiving solid foods in addition to artificial milk formulae (group C) had a mean value of 297·1 mOsm/1. The number of individual observations in the hyperosmolar range (more than 300 mOsm/1.) in groups A, B, and C were 0, 1, and 15, accounting respectively for 0%, 11·1%, and 40·5% of the total number of observations in each group. These results suggest that the early introduction to solid foods and the widespread use of artificial milk formulae at the expense of breast-feeding during the first three months of life result in an excessive dietary solute intake. This considerably stretches the ability of the immature kidney to maintain normal plasma tonicity. Minimal loss of water could precipitate a dangerous situation for babies with hyperosmolar plasma.

Glucose tolerance with serum insulin assay has been carried out in 24 apparently unaffected identical twins of diabetics. Glucose values were significantly higher and insulin values significantly lower than in control subjects, but there was considerable individual variation and in half the cases glucose tolerance was normal. There was no case of increased insulin response. In these twins glucose tolerance and insulin response were not correlated with weight, family history of diabetes, age at diagnosis of diabetes in the affected twin, time since that diagnosis, nor with age at testing the unaffected twin. On retesting 12 of the twins after two years no significant differences were found from the first testing.We conclude that not all these twins are likely to develop diabetes, that the assumption that identical twins of diabetics are necessarily "prediabetic" is probably erroneous, and that factors other than genetic ones are important in the aetiology of diabetes.