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Cell-free extracts of the protozoan Tetrahymena pyriformis have been found to catalyze the following reactions: Phosphatidylethanolamine + L-Serine Phosphatidylserine + Ethanolamine. Phosphatidylserine --> Phosphatidylethanolamine + CO(2) divided by Net: L-Serine --> Ethanolamine + CO(2). The biosynthesis of phosphatidylserine in this organism resembles that found in higher animals. In contrast, phosphatidylserine is formed in bacteria in a reaction between CDP-diglyceride and L-serine. A detailed description is presented of the enzyme that catalyzes the synthesis of phosphatidylserine in Tetrahymena by the exchange reaction, together with some properties of the phosphatidylserine decarboxylase in this organism.

Lipid composition of whole roots of wheat (Triticum vulgare Vill. cv. Svenno Spring Wheat) and oat (Avena sativa L. cv. Brighton) and of cell wall fractions, mitochondrial fractions and microsomal fractions of these roots were studied. Lipid composition depended upon the level of mineral nutrition. In wheat total phospholipids, phosphatidyl choline and sulfolipid content was highest in the roots grown at the higher salt concentration, while the reverse was true for oat roots. In both species glycolipid and sterol content was lower in the high salt roots, at the same time as higher proportions of them were built into the microsomal fraction. Phosphatidyl choline content of the wheat root membrane fractions increased with the salt level, while the opposite occurred in the oat roots. The phosphatidyl choline content may be correlated with the (Ca2+, Mg2+)‐stimulated ATPase activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lipid and phospholipid content of cotton leaves were measured in plants irrigated with fresh water and brackish water. The correlation between K+ and Na+ in leaf tissue and the changes in total lipids and phospholipids was determined at the vegetative and fruiting stages. Data demonstrated that total lipids and phospholipids can be associated with changes in the K/Na ratio and with the two developmental stages of the cotton plant. Plants irrigated with brackish water had more total phosphate incorporated into the phospholipids in the fruiting stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The amount of sterols in the mycelia of Ophiobolus graminis and Neurospora crassa was reduced by cultivating the fungi in the presence of inhibitors of the sterol synthesis. The hypocholesteraemic compounds β-diethylaminoethyl-(2.2-diphenylpentanoate) hydrochloride (SK & F 525-A) and 2.2-diphenyl - 1 -( β-dimethylaminoethoxy)pentane hydrochloride (SK & F 3301-A) were particularly effective in reducing the sterol contents. At the same time, the growth yield was reduced. Aescin had a reduced inhibitory effect on the radial growth of the mycelia with decreased sterol contents, the leakage of UV-absorbing substances and K+ ions was reduced to small amounts, and the inhibition of the K+ uptake was nullified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over a hundred compounds and natural materials were examined for their ability to induce arthritis in rats when mixed with heat-killed delipidated Mycobacteria tuberculosis. Many of these materials were also assessed for (CMI) adjuvant activity by their ability to induce allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) in rats when mixed with guinea-pig spinal cord, both with and without added M. tuberculosis. Cyclization and/or the presence of oxygen atoms, or double boiids reduced (or abolished) the arthritogenic potential and adjuvanticity of alkanes>C10. Esters/ triglycerides of fatty acids > C12, retinol acetate (not palmitate) and vitamins E and K showed co-arthritogenic and adjuvant activity. Other active lipids included squalene and cholesterol oleate, which are both present in human sebum. Sebaccous lipids may therefore perhaps function as natural adjuvants if resorbed during abrasion and infection. Squalane (perhydrosqualene), pristane and hexadecane were excellent substitutes for mineral oil in preparing arthritogenic adjuvants from various mycobacteria, C. rubrum and N. asteroides. These oily compounds were also very effective adjuvants per se, in the absence of bacterial material or emulsifier, for inducing EAE in Lewis rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infection of leaves of Tussilago by Puccinia poarum results in decreased export of photosynthetic products and, when infection is severe, in increased import. Photosynthetic products move to infection sites where host metabolites are converted to specific fungal products, including mannitol, arabitol, trehalose, glycogen, glucomannan and lipids. More previously fixed [SUP14]C is translocated to the fungus in the dark than in the light since, in the dark, degradation of starch contributes to net movement of [SUP14]C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An examination was made of the effects of low-temperature acclimatization on the fatty-acid composition of the polar lipids of two chill-sensitive species Gossypium hirsutum and Phaseolus vulgaris which harden readily against chilling injury. As controls, the effect of hardening temperatures on a chill-resistant species, Hordeum vulgare, and a chill-sensitive species, Episcia reptans, which did not harden were also investigated. The degree of unsaturation of the fatty acids associated with the phospholipid fraction increased during hardening of Gossypium hirsutum and Phaseolus vulgaris. Furthermore, the degree of unsaturation and weight of phospholipids decreased in the leaves of these species with increase in physiological age at 25° C and was related to the increased susceptibility of older leaves to chilling injury. The acclimatization treatment produced no effects on the fatty-acid composition of the glycolipids of these plants and this agreed with earlier observations which showed no increase in unsaturation of the total leaf fatty acid on hardening (Wilson and Crawford, 1974). Therefore, in leaves, it was the phospholipid fraction alone and representing only 22% of the total leaf fatty acids that had its degree of unsaturation positively related to the chilling tolerance of the species investigated. These findings are discussed in relation to similar ones made on the acclimatization of animals to low temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fecal lipid excretion was quantitated and analyzed in two groups of normal infants 3 to 11 days and 23 to 72 days of age. Total lipid excretion was similar in both groups averaging 10.8% of dietary intake. Fecal lipid was partitioned into four fractions: neutral lipids, insoluble divalent calcium soaps, ionized fatty acids and bound lipids. The neutral lipid fraction predominated in both groups, equalling 56 ± 5.3% (mean ± S.E.M.) of fecal lipid. It contained significant quantities of glycerides (13.6 ± 6.0% of the total lipid excreted). Calcium soaps comprised the other major fraction (25 ± 5.3%); analysis of this fraction by gas liquid chromatography showed that it contained primarily long-chain saturated fatty acids. The demonstration of glycerides in fecal lipid establishes that lipolysis is defective in newborn infants. Identification of long-chain saturated fatty acids in the calcium soap fraction documents the association between calcium and saturated fatty acid excretion. The presence of fecal monoglyceride, while conceivably the result of colonic bacterial hydrolysis of triglyceride, raises the possibility that lipid micellization and/or mucosal transport is insufficient for optimal lipid absorption. Thus, the intraluminal phase and possibly the mucosal phase of lipid absorption are not fully developed in the full-term newborn infant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. The interactions between the lipid and protein in complexes of dimyristoyl lecithin and porcine apoprotein were studied using electron spin resonance and fluorescent probes, dissolved in the lipid and covalently bonded to the protein. 2. The chain-melting transition of dimyristoyl lecithin is broadened on complexing with porcine apoprotein, indicating that the cooperative interaction between the lipid hydrocarbon chains is modified in the complex. 3. The broadening of the chain-melting transition is seen to be greatest by probes located at or near the glycerol region of the phospholipid. 4. Labels covalently bound to the protein experience only a small perturbation from the lipid chain-melting transition. 5. The results are interpreted as being consistent with a model for the complex, consisting of a lipid-bilayer, partially coated with protein and with some interdigitation of the protein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lipid A preparations isolated from Shigella sonnei lipopolysaccharides after mild acid hydrolysis were used as immunogens in rabbits. Titers ofantisera to lipid A amounted to about 1 : 640 in passive hemolysis test. Antibodies to lipid A were purified on the column packed with lipid A coupled to Sepharose 4 B. Pure antibodies to lipid A examined in immunoelectrophoresis proved to be immunogtobulins G. The specificity of antisera to lipid A was confirmed in passive hemolysis inhibition test elaborated in this work. From the results of the examination of various products of lipid A degradation in inhibition studies of lipid A-anti-(lipid A) system, it can be concluded that amino groups of glucosaminyl units substituted by 3-hydroxymyristoyl residues are immunodominants of lipid A. Lipid A preparations from Shigella sonnei showed distinct anticomplementary activities which disappeared from the examined materials after removal of ester-linked fatty acids. Shigella sonnei lipopolysaccharides, at suitable concentrations, inhibited also complement fixation. Phase II lipopolysaccharide was the best inhibitor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. The lipid composition of the salt (nasal) gland of eider duck and herring gull, an organ with a high transport capacity for sodium ions, was characterized in detail. 2. The three major lipids of both animals were cholesterol, ethanolamine phosphoglycerides and choline phosphoglycerides. The major fatty acids of ethanolamine phosphoglycerides were stearic and arachidonic acid, and the major fatty acids of choline phosphoglycerides were palmitic, oleic and arachidonic acid. Small amounts of plasmalogens were found. 3. Other phospholipids identified were sphingomyelins, diphosphatidylglycerols, inositol phosphoglycerides and serine phosphoglycerides. 4. The major glycosphingolipids were sulphatides, with similar structure for the two animals. A sulphate group was identified in position 3 of galactose, bound to ceramide mainly containing the C20 homologue of sphingosine and saturated 2-D-hydroxy C22, C23 and C24 fatty acids. No branched-chain or trihydroxy bases were present. 5. An earlier unknown glycolipid, xylopyranosylceramide, was found in small amounts in herring gull but not in eider duck. Glucosyl- and galactosylceramides were present in both animals. 6. The ratio of Na+-K+-dependent ATPase and sulphatides was similar to ratios found for other tissues with increased capacity for the transport of sodium ions. No other lipid resembled sulphatides in this respect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we demonstrate that two compounds which are known to enhance the permeability of membranes to potassium, valinomycin, a cyclic dodecapeptide and dicyclohexyl-18-crown-6, a macrocyclic polyether, inhibit protein synthesis in reticulocytes and that this inhibition is not primarily due to changes in the intracellular potassium concentration. No effect is obtained by adding the drugs to a cell free system and the inhibition observed is likely to be membrane mediated. Dicyclohexyl-18-crown-6 and low concentration of valinomycin (10 nM) act reversibly probably by interacting with the lipid phase of the membrane. This interaction in turn affects the protein synthesizing apparatus by affecting ribosomal functions. Ribosomes once isolated from treated cells are perfectly normal in structural and functional respects. High concentrations of valinomycin, which change the K+ gradient between the inside and the outside of the cell, affect the protein synthesizing apparatus of reticulocytes irreversibly by blocking incorporation of amino acids at the level of elongation or termination. Ribosomes isolated from cells treated with high valinomycin concentrations are mostly in the form of polysomes which are inactive in cell free protein synthesis. The high valinomycin block on the ribosomal fraction can be relieved either by washing ribosomes with high salt or with puromycin. It is believed that with high concentrations of valinomycin an inhibitor is released (probably from the membrane) and attached to the ribosomes. This high valinomycin effect is believed to by a supplementary phenomenon which when added to the effect of low valinomycin renders the inactivation of ribosomal functions irreversible.

1. The reactivation of C55-isoprenoid-alcohol phosphokinase apoprotein by a variety of lipids has been investigated. 2. A considerable lack of specificity for the chemical structure of the activating lipid is demonstrated. 3. Reactivation appears to occur by some physical mechanism. An electrostatic interaction of protein and lipid does not appear to be important. 4. All active lipids found are able to swell and become hydrated in aqueous buffer. Some of these lipids were active only after sonication or in the presence of detergent. 5. The hydrated lipid phase is concluded to activate by solubilization, as a liquid-crystalline or micellar solvent for the extremely hydrophobic enzyme apoprotein and for the non-hydrating C55-isoprenoid alcohol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Labeled 2-aminoethyl [32-P]phosphonate is incorporated into lipids of rat tissues. This incorporation, 48 h after an intraperitoneal injection, is maximum in the liver lipid (2.5% of the injected dose) and very small in the brain. After a second injection, 24 h later, urine excretion was about 40% of the first dose and only 8% of the second close. The incorporation of aminoethyl [32P]phosphonate into lipids of liver subcellular fractions is maximum in fraction from centrifugation at 1000 &times g for 10 min and similar for mitochondria and microsomes. Thin-layer chromatography was employed to demonstrate that aminoethyl [32P]phosphonate was incorporated into three lipids of the rat liver. The results, show the formation of sphingophospbonolipids investigated after mild alkaline hydrolysis of liver lipids. In addition, a low incorporation of aminoethyl [32P]phosphonate into lipids of rat liver homogenate was demonstrated. This incorporation was stimulated by the addition of CTP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spectroscopic properties, fluorescence and circular dichroism of model system of biological membranes, cytochrome c-lipid-water systems, are reported. It is shown that strong correlations exist between the fluorescence properties of dansyl phosphatidyl ethanolamine incorporated into these systems and the type of lipid protein interactions. These interactions depend on the state of cytochrome c; they are of an electrostatic type in the case of the ferricytochrome c-lipid phase and of an hydrophobic type in the case of the ferrocytochrome c-lipid phase. These correlations are valid as well on the pure phase (in the absence of excess water) as on the suspensions obtained by homogenization of the pure phases. The following results were also shown by a circular dichroism study of the suspensions, in the Soret region. 1. The addition of lipids to ferricytochrome c leads to a structural change of the protein from the native state to an intermediate state (displacement of the sixth ligand of the heme iron-side chain of methionine-80). 2. No structural change of the protein takes place by addition of the lipids to ferrocytochrome c. 3. In the presence of the lipids the reduction of cytochrome c is accompanied by a drastic structural change from the intermediate ferricytochrome c state to the native ferrocytochrome c state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. The (Na+ + K+)-stimulated ATPase of human erythrocyte ghosts is completely inactivated by treatment with pure phospholipase A2 or phosphohpase C. 2. These phospholipases also cause considerable or even complete loss of Mg2+-dependent ATPase activity. 3. Enzymatic hydrolysis of sphingomyelin does not significantly influence either of the ATPase activities. 4. Conversion of the glycero-phospholipids into phosphatidic acid by phospholipase D causes a drastic decrease in the Mg2+-dependent ATPase activity, whereas the (Na+ + K+)-stimulated activity is increased. 5. Enzymatic decarboxylation of the phosphatidylserine fraction of the ghosts does not influence the (Na+ + K+)-stimulated ATPase, unless the last 13% of this fraction is converted into phosphatidylethanolamine, when there is a complete loss of this particular ATPase activity. On the other hand, the Mg2+-dependent activity tends to be increased by this treatment. 6. The (Na+ + K+)-stimulated ATPase activity of erythrocyte ghosts treated with phospholipase C and subsequently extracted with dry ether, can be completely reconstituted by the addition of phosphatidytserine. Phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine and phospholipid mixtures are found to be ineffective. Phosphatidic acid produced a partial restoration of activity. 7. It is concluded that the (Na+ + K+)-stimulated ATPase activity strongly depends upon the presence of phosphatidylserine, of which only a minor fraction in the erythrocyte membrane is directly involved. It cannot be concluded from the experiments described in this paper that the Mg2+-dependent ATPase also requires a specific phospholipid. However, a direct involvement of either cholesterol or sphingomyelin in this activity can be precluded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microsomal preparations from Aspergillus niger mediate transfer of mannosyl units from GDP-mannose to endogenous lipids. Mannosyltransferases require divalent cations for activity. Optimum pH, temperature maximal activity and optimal metal ion concentration are different whether Mn2+ or Mg2+ are used. Km value for GDP-mannose is 0.2 μM in presence of Mg2+, while, with Mn2+ two values are obtained: 0.2 μM and 10 μM for low and high-substrate concentration. The lipid acceptor is purified by fractionation of the lipid extract on silicic-acid column followed by thin-layer chromatography on silica gel. Chromatographic properties, presence of phosphorus, coloration with the anisaldehyde reagent and acid lability of the lipid suggest that this compound is a polyprenol-phosphate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sebum is the excretory product of the sebaceous glands. These glands are found in the skin of all mammals except whales and porpoises. The bulk of sebum is a mixture of relatively nonpolar lipids, most of which are synthesized de novo by the gland. The lipid is excreted by a holocrine mechanism, whereby the lipid-laden cells disintegrate and pour their contents through the sebaceous duct onto the skin surface. One apparent function of sebum is to provide the skin surface and hair with a hydrophobic coating. The preen gland of birds has a similar function, but it is not a sebaceous gland.

A four-month study by serial photography of the progression of comedones in a 17-year-old white boy with untreated, moderately severe acne vulgaris showed that both open and closed comedones (blackheads and whiteheads) can become inflamed and pustular. The lesions tend to resolve in an average 13 days from the start of inflammation. Open comedones sometimes remain unchanged except for size for more than three months before becoming inflamed. Generally, the longer such lesions persist, the longer the ensuing combined periods of inflammation and pustulation. Because of their potential to become inflamed and pustular, the nontraumatic removal of comedones is suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In most animal tissues, lipogenesis converts excessive dietary carbohydrate or protein into storage lipids and this process must obviously be under the control of homeostatic regulatory mechanisms related to dietary intake and composition. The lipids of the skin, both sebaceous and epidermal, however, are formed for a specific biological function, to maintain the integrity of the integument. Lipogenesis, on another hand, in skin regulated by the same mechanisms that operate in other tissues poses a problem.

The composition and biosynthesis of lipids in human skin have long been of considerable interest, both because of the highly unusual structures these lipids contain and because of the possible involvement of the lipids in disease processes of the skin. Despite the exceptionally complex nature of surface lipid, its composition is now known in detail. In addition, since efficient procedures are now available for analyzing the class composition of skin lipid and the individual members of these classes, the changes in composition that may occur under specialized circumstances can now be studied in large groups of subjects.

In a very short time, several significant contributions have been made in what was until recently a largely unexplored field. It appears now that the skin and probably the sebaceous glands themselves participate meaningfully in controlling their own tissue-specific stimulators and inhibitors rather than acting as passive recipients of such regulators brought to them by the circulation. This article deals mainly with those aspects of steroid metabolism that have been rather thoroughly studied in rat and mouse preputial glands. As such, it may shed some light on the mechanisms that control steroid interconversions in sebaceous glands.

Measuring the volume of a sebaceous gland is tedious and is at best only semiquantitative. More importantly the assumption that volume and sebum secretion are related is unlikely and no doubt this is why it has never been established. For example gland volume could remain the same while sebum secretion increased or decreased by a changed rate of cell turnover. For these reasons sebaceous gland activity was assess by measuring the rate of sebum secretion. A different method has been also described unlike the latter method, which measures hair lipid and not total surface lipid.

The sebaceous glands in man are aggregates of various-sized acini that empty into a duct. Glandular configuration is determined by the relative size of the glands in any given area and the number of other glands in the same area, that is by the amount of crowding they are subjected to and by the nature of the dermis in which they grow. Regardless of differences in size, shape, or position, their cellular morphology and sequence of differentiation are similar but not necessarily identical. Sebaceous differentiation is the orderly synthesis, segregation, and accumulation of lipid droplets which culminate in enlarged, misshapen cells that fragment to form sebum.

Both morphological forms of Phaeodactylum tricornutum incorporated acetate in the light and in darkness. In the dark, the majority of the acetate was oxidized, probably by the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Although some CO[SUB2] was formed from acetate in the light, most acetate carbon was found in the cellular lipids. Acetate incorporation in the light was probably a result of both direct and indirect assimilation. The organism grew poorly an acetate in the light at a very low CO[SUB2] tension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypnospores, a type of sculptured-walled resting spore formed by some zoosporic chlorophycean and chrysophyccan algae, have been viewed at the ultrastructural level using thin section, SEM, and freezetech techniques. The "spiny" wall of the hypospore, as seen in the light microscope, appears as a raised, scalloped surface at the ultrasturctural level. The PAS-positive wall is composed of 2 distinct layers. Prior to the formation of the wall, vacuoles form in the cytoplasm, lipid deposits are detectable, and typical cytoplasmic organelles appatently degenerate. The entire process is completed in less than 24 hr. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Candida parapsilosis grows oxidatively under aerobic conditions and fermentatively in micro-aerobic (0.2 μM oxygen) continuous culture. The amount of unsaturated fatty acids and sterol in cells and mitochondria, and the aerobic cytochromes are decreased in micro-aerobic cultures. In aerobic cells mitochondrial protein synthesis accounts for the formation of more than one-third of the proteins of the organelles; in micro-aerobic cultures, this declines to 5%. At the same time, minor but significant differences in the nature of the protein products formed by the mitochondrial system are evident in micro-aerobic and aerobic cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Calcified Tissue Research is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Klinische Wochenschrift is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Thirty proprietary corticosteroid creams and gels were evaluated for vasoconstriction using an occluded blanching test. The method differed from previous investigators' in employing a more sensitive estimation of pallor and more reading times in order to determine the complete blanching profile. The results were expressed as three parameters: (1) area under the blanching curve, (2) summed % total possible score, and (3) square root transformation of sum of scores divided by number of volunteers; the last permitted statistical differentiation between the preparations. Experiments were performed to (a) compare the bio-availability of the formulations, (b) determine the effect of antimicrobial additives, and (c) assess the retention of steroids in the skin. Scores for the additive-containing and 'plain' preparations were within 90% except for Tri-Adcortyl/Adcortyl (78%) and Locorten-Vioform/ Locorten (53%). A steroid reservoir in the skin was demonstrated for up to 14 days. Selected preparations were re-tested by a non-occluded method and the results compared with those obtained by the occluded procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An assessment was made of the ultrastructural changes in the epidermis of clipped rat skin following six washings over 3 days with 1% sodium lauryl sulphate. Findings included deposition of lipid in most cells, marked spongiosis and vesiculation, partial detachment of basal cells from the basal lamina, isolated rupture of the basal lamina, condensation of tonofibrils within cells of the stratum basale and stratum spinosum, protein deposition between the deeper epidermal cells (epidermal oedema/blister formation) and thickening of the epidermis and stratum corneum. There was a reduction in the number of keratohyalin granules, with no change in their structure or average size. A 1% solution of sodium lauryl sulphate can cause marked general damage to the epidermis of clipped rat skin under the conditions described above. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six members of a family were discovered to have many of the manifestations of Waardenburg's syndrome, and increased levels of total serum lipids. The latter was marked in most of the members, especially in those who also had xanthomata. In this study the clinical and laboratory findings are presented. Relationships between these syndromes, both of which are known to be autosomal dominant traits, are examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is firmly established that the requirement for vitamin E is related to the fatty acid composition of the tissue lipids. Unfortunately, the complex relationships between dietary lipid composition and tissue lipid composition are not understood or appreciated by many investigators. Frequently one sees reports of drastic changes made in diet lipids and attempts to measure effects attributable to the change long before the establishment of new tissue equilibria. Data from animal studies are not directly applicable to adult man unless careful attention is paid to the extremely slow approach of certain tissues to equilibrium noted in the experiments of Dayton et al. and others. The kinetics of lipid autoxidation are relatively complex and it is not surprising that attempts to make predictions regarding events in biological systems have not always been successful. When the analogies arc correctly stated excellent correlation is noted between lipid autoxidation in vitro and lipid peroxidation in vivo in various studies including those of Green and co-workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the multiphasis screening program for somatic disease among elderly long-term psychiatric patients. It describes somatic health problems in a mental hospital, as revealed by a multiphasis screening program applied to a selected group of long-term psychiatric patients. They have also discussed the value of regular somatic screening programs in mental hospitals. The magnitude of somatic health problems among psychiatric patients in hospital makes it mandatory that efforts are made to detect and treat disorders.

The alveolar bone surrounding traumatically loaded maxillary and mandibular incisors in young and old rats was examined for increased lipid content by the OTAN- and rhodamine B-technique. In young rats no change in the lipid content could be demonstrated. In the old animals, however, the traumatic loading gave rise to an increased amount of phospholipids and unsaturated hydrophobic lipids in the alveolar bone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two liver-specific antigens are known: a water soluble protein (LP-2) and a water insoluble macromolecular low density lipoprotein (LP-1). In this paper the relative role of the two antigens in the development of experimental immune hepatitis has been investigated. Immunization of rabbits with a human preparation containing both antigens, led in all animals to lesions characteristic of an immune hepatitis. Immunization of the animals with a purified water soluble liver protein proved less efficient: only two out of six animals developed characteristic lesions which were less severe than those in the first group. It was deduced that although not a prerequisite, the liver-specific lipoprotein plays an important supportive role in the development of immune hepatitis, [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The properties of the gastric parietal cell autoantigen have been further investigated using mucosal subcellular fractions and gastric sections. Sucrose density layer ultracentrifugation of a microsomal preparation from bovine abomasum fundus (gastric) mucosa allowed the separation of an antigenic smooth membrane fraction, providing further evidence that the antigen is associated with smooth cytoplasmic membranes. Both hydrophobic and polar bonds appear to be concerned with maintenance of antigenic structure. Protein and lipid are essential components of the antigen. Lipid extracted with chloroform-methanol was inactive. The lipid-free protein retained slight activity which was increased on recombination with the lipid. The results suggest that the antigen is a lipoprotein. Enzymatic and chemical treatments showed that RNA and carbohydrate are not concerned in the antigenicity, which was also not dependent upon thiol groups, disulphide bonds or metal ions. Attempts to subfractionate an antigenic 6 M urea extract of bovine gastric microsomes by gel filtration and electrophoresis led to recovery of antigenic material without further resolution. An immunoadsorption-elution experiment gave promise of this being a useful method for purification of the antigen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]