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Computer-assisted stereological and quantitative morphological approaches were used to analyse cerebellar glomeruli of the “simple type” in serial ultrathin sections. It was found that, of the total volume (110–200 μm3) of the glomeruli studied, 53% was occupied by granule cell dendrites, 34% by mossy terminal and 13% by Golgi axons. None of the four analysed glomeruli contained Golgi cell dendrites. The mossy terminals that were studied received, on the average, 53 granule cell dendrites. All of the dendrites originated from different granule cells and all made synaptic contacts with mossy terminal. However only about 60% of granule cell dendrites made synapses with Golgi axons. The surface of the mossy terminals occupied by synaptic junctions, was found to be 5.4–5.5%. Each granule cell dendrite emitted 3–5 terminal protrusions (“dendritic digits”). Each digit receives one or more synaptic contact from either the mossy terminal (67% of all digits), or from Golgi axon varicosities (25%). Only about 8% of all digits were contacted synaptically by both types of axonal terminals. All of the dendritic digits that were observed made synaptic connections. Each digit was, on the average, connected by symmetric attachment plaques to 4 neighbouring digits. Three-dimensional reconstructions of mossy terminal and some of contacting granule cell dendrites demonstrated that the dendrites curved around the central mossy terminal and were much longer than expected from earlier Golgi-impregnation studies. In addition to mossy terminals and Golgi axons, an axon terminal of small calibre that contained large, empty, spheroid vesicles were occasionally observed. These terminals, which are most likely the axonal varicosities of ascending parallel fibers, made synaptic contacts exclusively with granule cell dendrites at the periphery of the glomeruli. The results demonstrate that, in the rat cerebellum, there is a high degree of convergence of granule cells at a glomernius (53 to 1); and that there is a rich inhibitory input to about 60% of all granule cell dendrites. It is also shown that the main postsynaptic targets, for both mossy and Golgi axons, are the dendritic digits. The presence of synaptic contacts between parallel-fiber-like varicosities and granule cell dendrites may be an additional source of excitation within the glomerulus.

Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen’s UniPeripherals used: card reader, line printer versity of Belfast, N. Ireland (see application form in the issue) No. of cards required to affect adaptation (including directive Reference to original program: cards): 298 Catalogue number: ACQN Title: TRANSPORT COLLISION INTEGRALS Typical running time A uthors of original program: H. O’Hara and F.J. Smith On the FELIX C-256 computer the compilation of the adapted Ref in CPC: 2 (1971) 47 program takes approximately 201 s, link editing 23 s, and the

The H + 2 ground state energy is calculated over the range of internuclear separation from R = 0.2 au to R = 8.0 au, using a Laplace transform-type wave function. The integral transform is made on Slater-type functions with the weighting function f (ν, p , α) = α (ν+3)/2 exp (− p α/2). The electronic energy E = −1.0833 au for the equilibrium internuclear distance ( R = 2.0 au) is obtained with incomplete optimization. Still lower energy is expected for larger values of the parameters v and p . The difference between the calculated and the exact energies is not excessive over the whole range of internuclear separations considered.

Summary Mucopolysaccharides (MPS) have been studied in the vascular wall, various other tissues, and the serum of rabbits and cocks fed a cholesterol diet. Histological and histochemical investigations indicate that changes in the mucoid materials precede the intimal deposition of lipids. Sulphate ( 35 S) uptake of the MPS of aorta and cartilage was significantly increased in cholesterol-fed animals; that of liver and kidney MPS was unchanged. The concentrations of serum protein-bound hexose, hexosamine and sialic acid increased significantly after cholesterol feeding. It is suggested that an intimal lipid film, developed in hypercholesterolaemia, disturbs the metabolic processes of intimal MPS by creating a local oxygen deficiency. The consequently changed composition of the MPS may lead secondarily to the deposition of lipids and other substances.

Summary The interaction between mucopolysaccharides (MPS) isolated from atherosclerotic human aortic intima and the β -lipoprotein fraction of human plasma has been investigated. The isolated MPS could be separated by paper electrophoresis into two fractions, that with a higher mobility being periodic acid-Schiff negative and containing a considerable amount of sulphate, the other with lower mobility being periodic acid-Schiff positive and containing only traces of sulphate. Paper electrophoresis of mixtures of the aortic MPS with pure human β -lipoprotein or with fresh human plasma showed that the β -lipoprotein migrates together with the aortic MPS component of lower mobility. This phenomenon points to the formation of specific MPS- β -lipoprotein complexes. A similar complex-formation takes place between intimai MPS and human plasma fibrinogen. It is concluded that the deposition of both these plasma components in the intima may have a common cause: chemical or physicochemical changes in the MPS composition of the intimai ground substance which facilitate the formation of specific MPS- β -lipoprotein and MPS-fibrinogen complexes.

There is a diminution of D-glucose absorption in the aged rat which is partly due to the decrease of the length of the villi.

The feed of weaned piglets of Hungarian Large White X Duroc and Dutch Landrace X Duroc genotype was supplemented with 0.5 mg selenium, 50, 100 or 150 mg vitamin E, and 2.5 or 5 mg riboflavin per kg. Feed supplementation enhanced the cytotoxic reaction and elevated the antibody titres produced against purified horse gamma globulin antigen. However, as compared to the control the differences were not significant. Feed supplementation exerted a beneficial, though varying, influence on the indices of cell-mediated immunity. The proportion of rosette-forming cells and blastogenic transformation induced by specific (horse globulin) and nonspecific (phytohaemagglutinin, PHA) mitogens underwent the most expressed and most significant increase in pigs fed 5 mg selenium, 100 mg vitamin E and 5 mg riboflavin per kg of feed. On the other hand, feed supplementation failed to enhance the responsiveness to intradermal PHA (type IV allergic reaction).

The susceptibility of women to autoimmune diseases is well-documented, of which systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is especially important. The use of oral contraceptives often activate SLE from a quiescent condition. The inductive effect of estrogen has been shown in animal studies indicating that female hormones can trigger autoimmune reaction. The effect of ethinyl estradiol, an estrogen (E), and d-norgestrel, a progesterone (P), on the mitogenic response of peripheral lymphocytes, and particularly on phytohemagglutinin (PHA)- and concanavalin-A (Con-A)-induced blastic transformation of lymphocytes (LBT) was studied in vitro. 25 patients with SLE and 27 healthy controls participated in the study. SLE was inactive in 16 patients, 7 took corticosteroids, and 3 also received 50 mg/day Imuran. 13 patients and 10 controls took contraceptives (Bisecurin, Infecundin, Ovidon, Rigevidon). The LBT value fell significantly in patients with active SLE, in contraceptive users, and the value was significantly lower in inactive patients than in those not using contraceptives. E and P separately or together significantly reduced LBT values. Contraceptives containing P only can be prescribed for women suffering from SLE, as its role in inducing the disease compared to E is negligible.

Plasma fibronectin seems to be a component of mixed polyclonal cryoglobulins1,6. According to our previous studies, mixed cryoglobulins, consisting of monoclonal and polyclonal immunoglobulins contain fibronectin (unpublished results). In vivo activation of the complement system was demonstrated in all of our patients with essential mixed cryoglobulinemia. Moreover, in vitro studies showed that isolated cryoglobulins activated the complement system via the C1q. The purpose of this study was to analyze the binding of purified human fibronectin to potential components of the cryoglobulins, to monoclonal immunoglobulins and to C1q, in vitro. This was performed by binding of I125 labelled fibronectin to human C1q, to human C1 complex, to human C1q bound to immune complexes and to human myeloma IgG subclasse.

Plasma fibronectin concentration was determined by electroimmunodiffusion and laser nephelometry in 40 healthy persons and 321 patients with myelo- and lymphoproliferative diseases and other malignancies. Decreased fibronectin concentrations were found in patients with leukemia, Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, myelofibrosis, polycythaemia rubra vera and angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy. Elevated fibronectin level was detected in patients with multiple myeloma. In patients with cancer of the lung, stomach and colon, fibronectin level was found in the normal range. Decreased fibronectin concentration was observed in patients with cancer of the breast and prostate. Lower plasma fibronectin concentrations were detected in all groups of patients with infectious septical complications as compared to the patients without infections.

Changes of T and B lymphocyte populations have been studied in chronic active hepatitis and liver cirrhosis. It was found that E rosette-forming T lymphocyte counts were significantly lower in this group of diseases than in the controls. The B cell count did no change significantly as compared to the controls. Incubation with levamisole was followed by a significant increase in active E rosette-forming and total T-cell counts. The authors have appraised the experimental results by comparison to published findings.

The effect of N-acetyl-4-6-(p-oxy-benzylidene)-D-glycosamine on Na235SO4 incorporation has been studied in vitro. The 0.25-2.0 mmoles of the compound significantly inhibited the Na235SO4 incorporation of granulomatous tissue. The inhibitory effect proved to be dose dependent.

Decreased activity of T-suppressor cells plays an important role in the pathogenesis of lupus erythematosus disseminatus. The authors investigated the in vitro effect of levamisole on the histamine inhibited E-rosette forming T-lymphocyte subpopulation in patients affected by LED and in healthy persons. Histamine significantly inhibited the E-rosette forming T-lymphocyte subpopulation in the patient group as compared to controls. This effect of histamine could be reversed by levamisole. It may be anticipated that the E-rosette forming T-cell subpopulation which can be inhibited by histamine is identical to histamine-receptor carrying T-lymphocyte subpopulation with suppressor properties. The possible mechanisms of histamine induced inhibition of E-rosette forming T-cells has been discussed on the basis of literary data.

Binding of purified plasma fibronection to Crithidia luciliae kinetoplast DNA was demonstrated by fluorescence microscopy. The method was suitable for the detection of fibronectin in human plasma diluted 1:256 and 1 microgram/ml concentration of isolated fibronectin. Purified human Clq, monoclonal human myeloma proteins of IgG1 and IgG3 subclasses and calf thymus DNA inhibited the binding of fibronectin to kinetoplasts. The method can be used as a functional assay for fibronectin and for various materials containing fibronectin.

In the liver needle biopsy specimens of 45 patients with hepatitis chronica persistents, hepatitis chronica aggressiva and cirrhosis of the liver the number of lymphoid cells and fibroblasts, and in the serum of the same patients concentration of IgG, IgA, IgM, alfa-2-macroglobulin and coeuroplasmin was examined. It was established that 1. the number of lymphoid cells and fibroblasts in the liver tissue of patients with hepatitis chronica aggressiva and cirrhosis of the liver increases significantly, 2. there exists a correlation between the number of lymphoid cells and the concentration of IgG, 3. the serum level of the alfa-2-macroglobulin increases parallely with the number of fibroblasts of the liver in hepatitis chronica aggressive and in cirrhosis of the liver.

The number of circulating total lymphocytes and the number of B and T lymphocytes from the blood were estimated in 22 patients with biopsy-verified chronic active liver disease. The total number of lymphocytes and the number of rosette-forming cells (T lymphocytes) were decreased in patients with liver disease. The number of IgG,- IgA- and IgM-bearing lymhocytes (B cells) did not change significantly while the number of null cells increased in patients vs. a control group.

Chronic hepatitis was diagnosed on the basis of biochemical, immunological and morphological criteria in 153 cases. On the evidence of observations for a mean period of four years the prognosis of chronic persistent hepatitis is regarded as favourable, no progression to chronic aggressive hepatitis or to cirrhosis having been observed in any of the cases. On the other hand, chronic aggressive hepatitis was found to progress to cirrhosis in 12 out of 65 cases. Cirrhotic transformation was more frequent in hyperactive processes (8 out of 25 cases). The sera of patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma showed low immunoglobulin concentrations, with increased coeruloplasmin and reduced transferrin levels.

The Gauss-Legendre quadrature formula is suggested to be used for computation of the auxiliary integral B11 (y) in case when y takes values near to zero. It is a111alytically shown and numerically tested that the precision of the results raises as y approaches zero. Owing to this property, this numerical procedure may be helpful in computing overlap integrals over Slater type orbita1s with nearly equal exponents.

Cell surface receptors for fibronectin /FN/ were detected by immunofluorescence technique on isolated normal human neutrophils /PMN/.FN inhibited in vitro the chemiluminesoence response /CLR/ of PMN-s stimulated by opsonized zymosan /OZ/, zymosan /Z/ and fMet-Leu-Phe /fMLP/ synthetic peptid in a dose dependent manner. In the same concentration range, FN increased the phagocytosis of OZ particles by PMN-s.FN in a Boyden technique assay increased the chemotactic activity of PMN-s stimulated by Z activated serum /ZAS/ or fMLP.Binding of FN to their receptors on PMN-s can modify the production of oxygen radicals during the course of postphagocytic metabolic events and the response of cells to various chemotactic factors.

The authors report on the successful outcome of pregnancy of a young woman with systemic lupus erythematosus. Her disease presented with severe renal involvement. The delivery was followed by lasting, complete remission. Even at the time of the report both the mother and her child are in a good health. On the occasion of this case-history the authors attempts, to summarize the present knowledge of pregnancy in systemic lupus erythematosus.

The effect of alcohol ingestion on the prognosis of chronic liver diseases was studied'n. Among 880 patients with chronic liver diseases the percentage of alcoholics was high, 33%, compared to 3.2% in the control group. The period of survival time is decreased by one half in patients with regular alcohol ingestion. According to 'in vitro' investigations they report that in chronic active hepatitis the low Et-rosette forming cell number is further decreased after incubation with alcohol, and ethanol inhibits the immune-stimulating effects of levamisole on Ett-rosette forming cells.

Fibronectin was detected by immunofluorescence on the surface of one fraction of separated normal peripheral blood lymphocytes using FITC-conjugated anti-human fibronectin antibodies. Approximately one fifth of isolated B cells and 7% of O cells contained surface bound fibronectin but T cells failed to stain. There were no detectable free receptors for fibronectin on the surfaces of the lymphocytes in the different subsets isolated from healthy controls as studied using FITC-labelled purified fibronectin. The per cent of B and O cells bearing surface bound fibronectin was markedly decreased in patients with acute and chronic lymphocytic leukemias and non Hodgkin's lymphoma, only 1-4% of B and 1-2% of O cells stained with FITC-labelled antifibronectin immunoglobulins. FITC-conjugated fibronectin was not bound to the different lymphoblasts isolated from patients with leukemia and lymphoma. Treatment of cells with trypsin and EDTA removed fibronectin bound to the cell surfaces. Fibronectin attached to the surfaces of lymphocytes may have an immunoregulatory function.

The concentration of IgA, IgG, IgM, coeruloplasmin, alpha-2-macroglobulin, beta-1-C-globulin, transferrin as well as of alpha-2-haptoglobin, orosomucoid and haemopexin has been studied in the serum of patients with disseminated lupus erythematosus, chronic progressive polyarthritis and immunopathological syndromes. The concentration of the carbohydrate components bound to serum proteins was also determined. In disseminated lupus erythematosus, the concentration of IgA, IgG, IgM, coeruloplasmin, and hexose, hexosamine and sialic acid bound to proteins, as well as of seromucoid was increased. In chronic progressive polyarthritis the IgA, IgG, IgM, coeruloplasmin, alpha-2-macroglobulin and beta-1-C-globulin concentration and the carbohydrate components bound to serum proteins rose. In immunopathological syndromes, too, the serum IgA, IgG, IgM, coeruloplasmin, and protein-bound hexosamine and sialic acid levels were increased. Under the effect of treatment, the elevated glycoprotein concentrations usually decrease, but the level of carbohydrate components bound to serum proteins hardly changes. The pathogenic and diagnostic significance of serum glycoproteins is discussed.

Serum cholesterol, triglyceride, total lipids and the lipoprotein pattern were studied in 169 cases chronic liver disease confirmed by biopsy. On the ground of the immunological and morphological results the patients were classified into five groups. In chronic persistent hepatitis no significant abnormality was found. In chronic aggressive hepatitis and in cirrhosis of the liver the serum cholesterol level was significantly reduced. In fatty infiltration of the liver the serum cholesterol, triglyceride and total lipid concentrations were significantly increased, as compared with the normal values and with the figures obtained in the cases of chronic inflammatory liver disease. In the cases of cirrhosis with additional diabetes the lipid values were likewise increased. In chronic aggressive hepatitis and in cirrhosis of the liver the levels of pre-beta and alpha lipoprotein were decreased, in fatty infiltration of the liver those of beta and pre-beta lipoprotein were increased.

Lower plasma fibronectin (FN) levels were detected in C3H germfree (Gf) mice as compared to conventional (Cv) ones. FN levels increased with aging both in Gf and Cv mice. Stimulation of the immune system with live Newcastle disease virus (NDV) vaccine increased the FN levels in young germfree mice, but had no effect in conventionals.

The sera of patients with IgG-myeloma, IgM-macroglobulinaemia and with processes accompanied by high polyclonal Ig-levels were measured by radial immunodiffusion for immunoglobulins, coeruloplasmin, alpha-2-macroglobulin, C3-component, transferrin, alpha-1-antitrypsin, alpha-2-haptoglobin and haemopexin. In the presence of typical changes in the immunoglobulin concentrations, elevation of alpha-2-macroglobulin was found only if polyclonal Ig was increased. The concentration of the C3 component was reduced only in IgM macroglobulinaemia, that of transferrin only in IgG-myeloma, that of alpha-2-haptoglobin only in IgM-macroglobulinaemia and in case of increased polyclonal Ig.

Cerebellar glomeruli of simple type were studied by quantitative morphological and stereological methods. It has been found that in one glomerulus the centrally located mossy terminal forms synaptic contacts with about 50 granule cell dendrites, all deriving from distinct granule cells. The three-dimensional reconstruction of the glomeruli revealed that the terminal portion of the dendrites, the so called digits, are elongated, thin processes. Synaptic contacts by mossy terminals are established exclusively on the dendritic digits. Although these digits are the main postsynaptic targets for the Golgi axon terminals as well, these inhibitory endings might also synapse with the proximal portion of the granule cell dendrites.

In liver biopsy specimens of 45 patients with chronic persistent hepatitis, chronic aggressive hepatitis and liver cirrhosis the number of lymphoid cells and fibroblasts as well as in the sera of the same patients the concentration of IgG, IgA, IgM, alpha-2-macroglobulin and coeruloplasmin have been studied. The number of lymphoid cells and fibroblasts, was significantly elevated in chronic aggressive hepatitis and liver cirrhosis; a close correlation could be demonstrated between the number of the lymphoid cells and the IgG concentration; the serum alpha-2-macroglobulin level changed parallel to the number of liver fibroblasts in chronic aggressive hepatitis and liver cirrhosis.

To establish whether aminoethyl-isothiuronium X bromide X hydrobromide (AET) treatment influenced intestinal cell proliferation during ageing, juvenile and aged female rats were treated with AET for a period of 20 days. Subsequent incorporation of 3H-thymidine was studied in the epithelial cells of the duodenal and jejunal crypts. It was found that after AET administration the major changes occurred in the duodenum, i.e. the number of the villous epithelial columnar cells were found to be elevated during senescence with a markedly higher level of mitotic numbers in the crypts. Changes were less in the ageing jejunum, here neither the cells nor the number of mitoses were as altered as those of the duodenal region. In general, the labelling indices of crypt cells increased in young ages after AET treatment. The findings can be explained by the role of AET with respect to nuclear metabolism.

Peripheral blood lymphocytes and the "in vitro' changes of the T-cell count after levamisole treatment were studied in twenty-two patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and in eighteen normal controls using E-rosette assay to quantify T-cells and EAC-assay to quantify B-lymphocytes. T-cell count was significantly lower in the patient group compared with the control group. B-cell numbers did not change significantly. The decrease of the T-cell count was accompanied by an increase of the null-cell number in patient groups. The levamisole treatment "in vitro' produced an increase in the active-T and total T-lymphocyte counts and led to the decrease of null-cell numbers. These data confirm the available evidence that levamisole "in vitro' may induce the maturation of immature T-lymphocytes in SLE.

In the serum of 27 patients with malignant lymphogranulomatosis the authors determined the serum level of glycoproteid-carbohydrate components (hexose, hexosamine, sialin acid, and seromucoid) and the concentration of 11 different glycoproteids. In the early stage of the disease the immunoglobulin level is moderately increased in the serum, whereas a diminution can be observed in stage IV. The concentrations of ceruloplasmin, alpha-2-macroglobulin and orosomucoid were already increased significantly in stage III. The increase did not continue in stage IV. In the final stage of the disease the concentrations of alpha-1-antitrypsin and haemopexin turned out to be increased considerably. A significant decrease in the transferrin level could be registered in stage III with this diminution also continuing in the further course. Changes of beta-C-globulin and haptoglobin concentrations could not be evaluated statistically. The content of carbohydrate components in the glycoproteids will already increase in the early stage of the disease with this increase continuing in the further course. Among histological types there was a more significant increase of immunoglobulins in those forms rich of lymphocytes.

Isolated and washed cryoimmunoglobulins from 15 patients were studied for the presence of fibronectin by immunodiffusion tests. Two of the isolated cryoglobulins proved to the pure monoclonal immunoglobulins (IgGl kappa and IgGl lambda), nine contained both monoclonal IgM kappa and polyclonal IgG and four were composed of polyclonal IgG, IgM and IgA by immunoelectrophoresis. Double immunodiffusion analysis detected the presence of fibronectin in each of the separated cryoimmunoglobulins. In a solid phase radioimmunoassay, I125 labelled purified fibronectin proved to bind to isolated human monoclonal myeloma proteins of IgGl kappa and IgG3 lambda subclasses. Fibronectin seems to be present not only in mixed polyclonal but also in mixed monoclonal-polyclonal and in monocomponent cryoimmunoglobulins, and it may be bound to one of the immunoglobulin components of the cryoglobulins.

Using the generating function of Hermite polynomials a relation between Slater and Gaussian functions is presented, which formally can be interpreted as the inverse of the integral transformation used by Shavitt and Karplus.