Die Spulwurmerkrankungen in Darmstadt und Hessen vom Abwasseringenieur gesehen

Ohne ZusammenfassungMit 1 Textabbildung.Im Heft 2 des Gesundheits-Ingenieur 1948 erschien meine Abhandlung Spulwurmplage und Abwasserbeseitigung in Darmstadt. Dem darin behandelten Stoff wurde auch von vielen Hygienikern solches Interesse entgegengebracht, daß ich die Abhandlung in erweiterter Form hier veröffentliche. Die seit der Veröffentlichung im Gesundheits-Ingenieur erzielten Fortschritte sind dabei berücksichtigt.     

Effect of the degree of myocardial hypertrophy associated with an experimental heart defect on the resistance to altitude hypoxia

Summary Experimental coarctation of the abdominal aorta with constriction of its lumen to one-third of the original diameter was created in 18 albino rats. Four months later various degrees of myocardial hypertrophy developed in the animals with a relative weight of the heart ranging from 0.0033 to 0.0069. In elevation in the barochamber, the altitude ceiling of the animals with a relative cardiac weight below 0.0040, did not differ from the normal one. The altitude ceiling proved to be considerably decreased in animals with a relative cardiac weight of over 0.0040. Analysis of ECG recorded during the elevation demonstrated that in the animals with a considerable myocardial hypertrophy reduced resistance to the acute high altitude hypoxia depended on the reduction of the functional resistance of the heart.(Presented by Active Member AMN SSSR V. V. Parin) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 55, No. 5, pp. 37–40, May, 1963     

”Reflexes of purpose and freedom” in the comparative physiology of higher nervous activity

The most complex unconditioned reflexes of aim and freedom, discovered by I. P. Pavlov, are compared with the competence drive and the motivation of the resistance to coercion, respectively, described by contemporary ethologists. On the basis of the unconditioned reflex of purpose, conditioned reflexes were developed in which positive emotions arising in connection with the perfection of a skill, irrespective of its pragmatic significance at a given moment, serve as the reinforcement. The unconditioned reflex of freedom is regarded as a phylogenetic precursor of the will, and its acute extinction as the physiological mechanism of hypnosis. It was demonstrated experimentally that the appearance of the state of animal hypnosis (immobilization catatonia) in rabbits is accompanied by the predominance of electrical activity and heat production in the right hemisphere, i. e., by symptoms which are found in hypnosis in man.Translated from Zhurnal Vysshei Nervnoi Deyatel'nosti imeni I. P. Pavlova, Vol. 39, No. 3, pp. 415–420, May–June, 1989.     

A Proposed Heuristic for Communicating Heritability Estimates to the General Public, with Obesity as an Example

It is well established that many continuously distributed traits have a heritable component. However, it is often difficult to communicate to the general public the meaning of quantitative estimates of heritability. To address this problem, the present paper introduces a heuristic for communicating heritability to nonscientific audiences. This heuristic involves adopting an extremely simplified model of inheritance and artificially (and somewhat arbitrarily) defining a cutoffs of low environmental risk and affectation status. Using body weight and obesity as an example, we present a table which gives estimates of the proportion of obese persons who are genetically obese assuming varying levels of environmental risk for obesity and relative body weight scores for defining obesity. The resulting statistic may prove useful for lay audiences in understanding a heritability estimate.     

The problem of detection of tissue antigens

Summary Utilization of the anaphylactic reaction for distinguishing tumor antigens from antigens of normal tissues requires the preliminary investigation of 2 problems: 1) how should desensitization against major antigens be performed in order to be sure of its completeness, and 2) how does such desensitization affect the sensitivity of the animal to minor antigens? Experiments were carried out on guinea pigs which were sensitized by mixtures of two antigens (foreign serums, tissue nucleoproteins) mixed in different proportions. It was demonstrated that the desensitizing dose of a major antigen is several times as great as the shocking dose, and therefore that repeated injection is necessary to bring about complete desensitization. This causes a pronounced decrease of the sensitivity to the minor antigen. Therefore it is necessary to increase the dose of the preparation containing the mixture of antigens (for example, a tumor extract) in order to obtain a definite anaphylatic reaction. These findings should be taken into consideration in employing anaphylaxis for the demonstration of antigenic differences between tumors and normal tissues.     

Targeted gene replacement at the endogenousAPRT locus in CHO cells

We demonstrate the feasibility of targeted gene replacement at an endogenous, chromosomal gene locus in cultured mammalian cells, employing a two-step strategy similar to an approach routinely used for genetic manipulation in yeast. Utilizing an APRT⁺ recombinant generated by targeted integration of plasmid sequences (including a functional copy of the gpt gene) at the CHO APRT locus, we have been able to select gpt^– pop-out recombinants that have arisen by intrachromosomal recombination between APRT direct repeats at the targeted integration site. Reciprocal exchanges leading to pop-out of integrated plasmid/gpt gene sequences occur at a rate of 6.3×10^–6 per cell generation. Depending on the site of crossover, such pop-out events result in either replacement or restoration of the original APRT target gene sequence.     

Analysis of Cyclic Adenosine-3',5'-Monophosphate Levels in Structures of the “Informational” and “Motivational” Systems of the Rat Brain during Acquisition of a Conditioned Active Avoidance Reaction

Cyclic adenosine-3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) levels in structures of the informational and motivational systems of the brain were measured during acquisition of a conditioned two-sided active avoidance reflex in rats. cAMP levels were measured in three groups of animals – intact animals, trained animals, and an active control group (given uncombined presentations of the conditioned (light) and unconditioned (electric shock) stimuli) – immediately after reproduction of the acquired reflex. Significant accumulation of cAMP levels in brain structures was seen in animals of the active control group in the hypothalamus and in trained animals in the left and right hippocampus and the right frontal cortex. Positive correlations were found between cAMP levels in symmetrical parts of the frontal cortex, amygdala, and hypothalamus in animals of all study groups. In addition, active control rats and trained rats showed interhemisphere and intrahemisphere correlations between cAMP levels in brain macrostructures, whose patterns were specific for each group. The pattern of correlations observed here is assessed from the point of view of the role of the informational and motivational structures in the organization of adaptive behavior.     

Neuron Activity in the Prefrontal Cortex of the Brain in Rats with Different Typological Characteristics in Conditions of Emotional Stimulation

Male Wistar rats were separated according to the emotional resonance method (groups of animals avoiding (altruists) and not avoiding (egotists) the pain cries of partner rats) and neuron activity in the prefrontal areas of the cortex was studied in the right and left hemispheres. Assessments were made of changes in the frequency of nerve cell spike activity (in relation to the baseline activity of neurons in sated animals) in rats subjected to one day of food deprivation and after electrical stimulation of emotionally positive (lateral hypothalamus) and negative (tegmentum of the midbrain) brain structures and after exposure to the pain cries of partner rats. The results of these experiments revealed a series of differences in the cell activities of the two groups of rats. In conditions of hunger, the discharge frequency in the altruists was higher than that in egotists. Cortical neuron responses to positive stimulation were greater than those to negative stimulation in rats of both groups. Intracerebral stimulation produced significantly greater increases in discharge frequency in neurons of both prefrontal areas of the cortex in altruists than in egotists. In both groups of rats, neurons in the right hemisphere responded to emotionally negative stimulation with significantly greater activation than cells in the left hemisphere, while activity in the left hemisphere was greater in conditions of emotionally positive stimulation. Altruists showed significantly greater neuron responses during exposure to pain cries from victim rats in both the right and left hemispheres. The responses of egotists to victim cries were not significantly different from baseline activity levels.     

Disturbance of delayed match-to-sample in macaques by tetanization of anterior commissure versus limbic system or basal ganglia

Summary Three pig-tailed macaques were trained to select (match) from a pair of colored images that which they had seen (sample) and responded to 5–15 s previously. The anterior commissure (AC) and/or its radiation, various loci in basal ganglia, hippocampal formation and control areas, (splenium of corpus callosum, precentral gyrus, insular cortex), totalling 40 loci, were each tetanized for 4 s during presentation of the sample image, during the delay period, or when the monkey was required to select the matching image. For several loci in the hippocampal formation tetanization at any phase of the task reduced matching to chance levels and gave evidence of electrical after-discharge; but other comparable hippocampal loci had little or no effect. Response to sample or match stimuli were absent during tetanization of basal ganglia or anterior commissure. When finally made, upon cessation of tetanization, responses were equally correct for basal ganglia and control sites, but for AC were at chance levels.     

Anti-oncospheral antibodies in the serum of lambs experimentally infected with eitherTaenia ovis orTaenia hydatigena

Using a peroxidase micro-enzyme-linked-immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method anti-oncospheral antibodies were demonstrated in sera from four lambs after primary and challenge infections withTaenia ovis orT. hydatigena. Antibodies assayed using homologous oncospheral antigen (OA) reached a peak by 3–4 weeks after primary infection and at 1–3 weeks post-challenge infection, but waned to pre-infective, background levels by 8–12 weeks after each infection. Antibodies assayed against antigens in strobilar or cystic larval extracts persisted for long periods after the initial infections and exhibited different kinetics of response from those demonstrated against OA. These antibodies showed increased levels after challenge infection. Oncospheral antigens did not seem to be species specific although they appeared to elicit a stage-specific response. It is suggested that the anti-oncospheral antibody response could be associated with protective or functional antibody.     

Recognition by peptide mapping of three different structural groups of outer membrane protein YOP-1 of Yersinia enterocolitica and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis

The structural relation of YOP-1 of european and american Yersinia enterocolitica serotypes O3, O9, O5, 27, and O8 and O20, respectively, and Y. pseudotuberculosis serotypes I, II, and III was compared by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and peptide mapping using Staphylococcus aureus protease V8. Apparent molecular weights of YOP-1 ranged from 206,000 (O3) to approx. 180,000 (O8). According to their respective peptide maps YOP-1 of the european and american Y. enterocolitica serotypes and Y. pseudotuberculosis serotypes could be assigned to three different groups. Evaluation of several isolates of Y. enterocolitica serotypes O3, O9, and O8 by peptide mapping indicated that YOP-1 is conserved within a serotype. However, one serotype O8 isolate differed from the consensus peptide pattern of the other serotype O8 and O20 isolates. The similarity of the peptide patterns of Yersinia serotypes which predominate in certain geographical locations, i. e., european and american Y. enterocolitica serotypes, suggest common evolution of YOP-1 of these serotypes independent of the evolution of the other serotypes.     

Breast cancer in relation to overnutrition

Summary Overnutrition and obesity, mainly due to intake of excess animal fat, have been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer by virtue of: (1) fat serving as a vehicle for fat-soluble environmental carcinogens, (2) fat-derived cocarcinogenic fatty acids and sterols, (3) hypercholesterolemia and increased ovarian and adrenocortical steroid synthesis (estrogens, androgens, cortisol), (4) decreased conversion of estrone to the antiestrogenic 2-hydroxyestrone, (5) increased conversion of androstenedione to the carcinogenic estrone (estradiol), and (6) depression of the immune response. However, the relevance of each of these mechanisms on the risk of breast cancer, remains unclear, despite many epidemiological, endocrinological, and immunological studies in humans and laboratory animals. Thus at present, the cause-effect relationship between overnutrition and breast cancer is not clear, nor is the interplay between nutritional, hormonal, and environmental risk factors of breast cancer understood. It seems that progress regarding overnutrition and risk of breast cancer can be achieved only when the various interrelated factors are evaluated in prospective studies with improved methods.     

The vertex-positive scalp potential evoked by faces and by objects

Summary The influence of stimulus form on the scalp-recorded vertex positive peak (VPP) evoked by images of faces (Jeffreys 1989a) was studied in seven subjects. In separate experiments, we recorded the responses to 2D images of: (1) many different depictions of human faces; (2) the heads of several different species; (3) many familiar non-face objects; and (4) stimuli where the configuration of objects were modified to produce an illusory or non-contextual subjective impression of a face. The results showed that every facial representation, including the illusory stimuli, and most of the non-face objects, evoked a VPP of corresponding form and scalp distribution. The object-evoked VPPs, however, were always smaller and usually later than those evoked by the faces. VPPs of longer latency but often comparable amplitude were also recorded for impoverished compared to well-defined facial representations; and for most non-human compared to human faces. Very consistent responses were recorded to repeated presentations of the same stimulus for the same subject, but there was considerable variation in latency as well as amplitude (but not form) of the VPP evoked under identical experimental conditions for different subjects. These response properties of the VPP, suggest that its underlying physiological generators are sensitive to basic configurai properties of the visual stimulus; and also that face- and object-related information are processed in the same brain area(s), although not necessarily by the same physiological mechanisms.     

Convergent inputs from articular,cutaneous and muscle receptors onto ascending tract cells in the cat spinal cord

Summary 1.Responses were recorded from 160 ascending tract cells in segments L4 to L6 of the spinal cord in chloralose anaesthetized, spinalized cats. The tract cells were identified by antidromic activation following stimulation of pathways in the lateral and ventral funiculi at the level of the spinal cord transection at the thoracolumbar junction. Axonal conduction velocities ranged from 9 to 114 m/s. 2. A sample of 152 of the neurones examined could be subdivided according to the distribution of their receptive fields into 49 cells activated just from receptors located in skin (s cells), 17 neurones excited by receptors in deep tissues (d cells), 15 units with a convergent input from receptors in skin and deep tissues (sd cells), and 25 neurones with a convergent input from the knee joint and either skin (sj cells), deep tissues (dj cells) or both (sdj cells). No receptive fields could be demonstrated for the remaining 46 neurones. 3. S and sj cells were found almost exclusively in the dorsal horn, whereas many d, sd, sdj and dj units were in the ventral horn. Almost all of the cells that lacked receptive fields were in the ventral horn or intermediate grey. 4. Ninety-one of 158 cells (56%) demonstrated no background activity. Of these, 43 cells (27%) lacked receptive fields. Many of the silent neurones were in the ventral horn, but some were in the dorsal horn. Of 25 cells having knee joint input, 18 (72%) had background activity. 5. All of the neurones that had a receptive field in the knee joint also had a convergent input from receptors in other tissues. In 3 cases, there was a receptive field in the skin over the foot (sj cells). For 16 cells, receptive fields included not only the knee joint but also skin and deep tissue (sdj cells). Usually, the cutaneous receptive field was near the knee joint, but sometimes it was remote, such as on the foot. The deep receptive fields were chiefly in the muscles of the thigh and/or leg. For 6 dj cells, the receptive fields included not only the knee joint but also deep fields like those of sdj cells. 6. Cutaneous receptive fields were classified as low threshold (cells excited best by innocuous intensities of mechanical stimulation), wide dynamic range (cells activated by weak mechanical stimuli, but the best responses were to noxious stimuli) or high threshold (innocuous stimuli had little effect, but noxious mechanical stimuli produced a vigorous discharge). Similarly, stimulation of the knee joint with weak mechanical stimuli could excite some neurones, while others could be activated by weak or strong articular stimuli but were excited best by noxious stimuli, and still other neurones were activated by knee joint stimuli only if the intensity was noxious. 7. In several instances, contralateral receptive fields were noted. These were generally in deep tissue or in the knee joint. 8. It was concluded that many of the responses to articular stimulation of the spinal cord ascending tract cells examined in this study could have been mediated by the fine afferent fibres that supply the knee joint. Although further work will be required to determine which particular ascending tracts transmit nociceptive information concerning the knee joint, it can be proposed that many of the responses demonstrated here were likely to play a role in either joint pain of in triggering responses associated with joint pain.     

Analysis of miniature spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSCs) from current noise in crayfish opener muscle

Deviating from the normal situation, some crayfish muscle fibres showed spontaneous inhibitory activity: discharge of large inhibitory postsynaptic currents, IPSCs, alternating with long lasting bursts of current noise. Analysis of the bursts of current noise revealed that they are composed of spontaneous miniature unit currents, sIPSCs. In the burst periods the sIPSCs occurred with an average rate of 3.5–10 kHz and had an amplitude of about ã=90 pA at a driving force E=10 mV. The peak conductance _ã=ã/E of the sIPSCs was _ã=9.2 nS±0.5 (S.D.,n=5) for membrane potentials between E=–60 mV and E=–80 mV. _ã seemed to decrease when the membrane was hyperpolarized. The time constants of decay, , of the sIPSCs were identical with of the IPSCs. Further, and its potential dependence agreed with the mean lifetimes of inhibitory postsynaptic channels operated by -aminobutyric acid (GABA) [Dudel et al. 1977, 1980]. Synchronized opening of about 750 inhibitory synaptic channels generates a sIPSC.Analysis of this anomalous bursting inhibitory activity thus yields the size of the inhibitory quantum of transmission, which could not be obtained from IPSCs.This investigation was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft     

Histopathological predictive factors in Ewing's sarcoma of bone and clinicopathological correlations

Summary A retrospective multifactorial analysis on 261 previously untreated patients with Ewing's sarcoma (Es) of bone has been carried out in order to ascertain the prognostic value of several histological variables on survival. Among those cases accepted as Es, 208 (80% of the patients) were considered to be typical Es, while 40 (15%) displayed a large cell predominance, being subclassified as atypical large cell Es. Furthermore, 13 patients (5%) possessed tumours of endothelial-like appearance. Eleven cases which displayed a mixed histological configuration were finally included within one of the three previous groups according to their predominant histological pattern.After adjustment for therapeutic regimens and initial location of the tumour, only two histological characteristics remain significant; i.e. the presence of necrosis (p=0.002) and, to a lesser degree, the presence of filagree en damier pattern (p=0.08), both of which are of poor prognostic value. From this study, it can be assumed that the morphological (and possibly histogenetical) heterogeneity of Es of bone has no prognostic influence on survival.     

Intratypic antigenic heterogeneity of Coxsackie B viruses

Summary Neutralization tests, employing the cytopathogenic effect in tissue culture tubes, with a variety of homotypic antisera and strains of Coxsackie B viruses often yielded high titers in early readings and low titers in late readings — the break-through phenomenon — and occasionally also low, early-reading titers with heterologous, homotypic sera, which gave high titers with the homologous strains. Of 27 strains of Goxsackie B 1 to B 5, that were tested, 10 showed no break-through tendency while others showed varying degrees of break-through, without reference to any evidence of intratypic antigenic variation. There was a positive correlation between a small number of tissue culture passages away from man or mouse brain and the break-through tendency. Moreover, strains without break-through tendency yielded viral populations with marked break-through properties after a single intracerebral passage in newborn mice, and even after two subsequent tissue culture passages. Plaque-purified progeny exhibited the break-through phenomenon to the same extent as the original, unpurified cultures.The early readings yielded reproducible titers, which could be used for analysis of antigenic variation. Prime antigenic variants, of broader antigenic constitution than their non-prime relatives, were found among the Coxsackie B 2, B 3, and B 4 strains that were tested. These prime strains (e. g., B. V. A. 96- B2; Stevens - B 3, and Burrier or J. V. B. - B 4) were found to be antigenically broader than the prototype strains (Ohio 1 - B 2, Nancy - B 3, Powers or Texas 13 - B 4) generally used for the preparation of diagnostic antisera. The broader antigenicity of the prime variant was also present in plaque-purified progeny.Aided by grants from The National Foundation, Inc.The work reported here was carried out in 1957–1958 during Dr.Wigand's tenure of a fellowship in the Cincinnati Laboratory.     

Synergistic effects of tumour necrosis factor-α and interferon-γ on feline haemopoietic progenitors

Pathogenic mechanisms that underlie feline leukaemia virus subgroup-C (FeLV-C) induced erythroid aplasia are unknown. FeLV-C infection is associated with higher serum levels of interferon- (IFN-) and tumour necrosis factor- (TNF-), which may act synergistically to cause haemopoietic suppression. In the present studies, the synergistic effects of TNF- and IFN- on feline bone marrow progenitors in vitro were evaluated. Bone marrow mononuclear cells from specific-pathogen-free cats were exposed to TNF- (100 and 200 pg/ml) and IFN- (100 or 200 units/ml), alone or in combination, for 2 h before plating for clonal assays of colony forming units. Our results show that TNF- and IFN- in combination caused marked suppression of feline colony forming units-erythroid (CFU-E), burst forming units-erythroid (BFU-E), and colony forming units-fibroblasts (CFU-F), whereas colony forming units-granulocyte/macrophage (CFU-GM) were minimally affected. The same concentrations of TNF- and IFN- alone had minimal effects on CFU-E, BFU-E and CFU-F. These results suggest that TNF- and IFN- may play a significant role in regulating haemopoiesis in cats and may be involved in the pathogenesis of erythroid aplasia in cats infected with feline leukaemia virus.     

Effect of muscular work on the motor function of the stomach and duodenum

Summary The effect of muscle work on the gastric and duodenal motor function was studied in dogs.It was observed that the static stress inhibited the hunger contractions of the stomach and duodenum; the inhibitory effect disappeared as the stress ceased. The static muscle work effect was more pronounced in hunger contractions of the stomach than in those of the duodenum. Under the influence of static stress, the periodic hunger contractions of the stomach varied more extensively than its acid and digestive contractions.Presented by Active Member Acad. Med. Sci. USSR V. N. Chernigovsky     

Application of the polymerase chain reaction to study the M protein(-like) gene family in beta-hemolytic streptococci

Evaluation of homologous regions of published M protein (emm) gene sequences from group A streptococci (GAS; Streptococcus pyogenes) was used to design three primer pairs for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and three oligonucleotide probe sequences internal to the amplified products. One set of primers and corresponding probe should detect and lead to amplification of emm(-like) genes of virtually every type (all M), another (SOR^-M) should only amplify emm(-like) genes from GAS negative for serum opacity reaction (SOR) and the third (SOR⁺M) should expand only emm(-like) genes from SOR⁺ GAS. Using the all M primer pair for PCR on the genomic DNA from GAS of 29 different M types as well as from a group C and a group G streptococcal isolate, DNA fragments within the expected size range were amplified in every assay. All PCR products reacted with the all M probe. Related sequences were not detected in genomic DNA of an S. agalactiae and an Enterococcus faecalis isolate. Applying the SOR^-M and SOR⁺M primers to identical assays led to mutually exclusive amplification products. The SOR⁺M and SOR⁺M probes hybridized only to their corresponding products. Exceptions to this exclusivity were the SOR⁺ GAS of M types 3, 8, 27, 34, 42, 67, and 69, which consistently reacted only with the SOR⁺M primer/probe set. Analysis of sequence data from the amplified emm(-like) 2, 3, 18, and 19 genes revealed interesting specific features such as conserved gaps in the C-terminal sequence regions from SOR⁺ and the exceptional SOR^- GAS strains. These data indicate the existence of a subgroup of strains among SOR^- GAS and may advance our understanding of phylogenetic relationship between different serotypes of GAS.