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1. The characterization of two novel triterpenoid xanthophylls occurring in Streptococcus faecium UNH 564P is described. 2. Both are derived formally, and probably biosynthetically, from the C30 analogue of neurosporene and have been identified as 4-hydroxy-4,4′-diaponeurosporene and its glucoside, 4-d-glucopyranosyloxy-4,4′-diaponeurosporene. 3. Problems associated with the use of specific glucosidases in defining the anomerism of carotenoid glucosides are discussed.

1. The occurrence of a novel series of triterpenoid carotenes in Streptococcus faecium UNH 564P is reported. 2. This series, which comprises the C30 analogues of phytoene, phytofluene, ζ-carotene, 7,8,11,12-tetrahydrolycopene and neurosporene, appears to be analogous to the C40 Porter–Lincoln series and a pathway of triterpenoid carotene dehydrogenation is proposed to account for the formation of these compounds. 3. Two cis isomers of the C30 analogue of neurosporene are described. 4. An appropriate system of nomenclature for these novel compounds is proposed.

During the last ten years, evidence has been obtained suggesting that lithium salts given each day can reduce the recurrence of affective illnesses in about 75% of patients. Treatment must be strictly supervised to ensure the therapeutic effectiveness of the medication, and this can best be done at a special clinic. This paper reviews such a clinic, which has been operating for over two years, and presents further evidence to support the concept that the lithium ion acts as a prophylactic agent in the management of a recurrent affective illness.

ABNORMALITIES of water and electrolyte metabolism in depressive illness have been reported many times. The subject has been recently reviewed by Coppen1 who considers that an increase in intracellular sodium and a low intracellular potassium content are features of the depressed state, the sodium abnormality being reversible.One of the findings in this field is the report2 that depressed patients have an abnormality of the blood-brain-cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) barrier resulting in subnormal transfer rates of sodium from plasma to cerebrospinal fluid. Since this report, like much of the recent work in the subject, has never been confirmed, we have undertaken a similar study in severely depressed patients. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Eleven patients admitted to the Professorial Psychiatric Unit with a primary depressive illness were studied. They were typical melancholic patients diagnosed as psychotic endogenous depressives with the clinical features of agitation,

Psychiatric problems amongst students are an important field of study. The paper discusses a questionnaire survey of psychiatric symptoms in 2,363 Australian medical students. The findings are discussed and compared with those from other surveys. A positive correlation was found between higher academic performance and questionnaire-assessed “neuroticism”.

Some of the medical and social problems of patients and their families with Huntington's disease are discussed from the viewpoint of total family care.

The crystal and molecular structure of trans-(methyl)(but-2-yne)bis(dimethylphenylphosphine)-platinum(II) hexafluorophosphate, [(CH3)(H3CC≡CCH3)Pt(P(CH3)2]PF6, has been determined from three dimensional X-ray diffraction data recorded by diffractometric methods. The structure has been refined by full-matrix least-squares methods on Fusing 1060 unique data to a conventional agreement factor R = 0.036. The crystals are orthorhombic, space group Pnma(D2h16), with a = 15.447(5), b = 15.344(4), c = 11.005(3) Å, and Z = 4. The coordination about the platinum atom is approximately square planar, if the acetylene is considered to be a unidentate ligand. There is crystallographic mirror symmetry imposed on the ions, such that the platinum atom, the methyl carbon atom, and the four carbon atoms of the acetylene ligand all lie on the mirror plane. The acetylene C≡C bond is approximately perpendicular (86.5(1.5)°) to the coordination plane of the platinum atom. The mean platinum–carbon(acetylene) bond length is 2.278(5) Å, and the mean angular departure from linearity of the ligand is 12(4)°. There is a small (156 cm−1) reduction of Vstr(C≡C) for the but-2-yne ligand upon coordination, and the acetylenic carbon–carbon bond length, 1.22(3) Å, is not significantly different from the value of 1.21(2) Å observed in the free ligand.