Electrophysiological concomitants of eating induced from neocortex and hippocampus by electrical stimulation and injection of KCl or norepinephrine

EEG and DC activity were recorded from the hippocampus and neocortex in freely moving rats during consummatory behavior elicited by electrical stimulation and application of KCl or norepinephrine to these structures. Eating induced by KCl application or electrical stimulation of the neocortex or hippocampus was accompanied by single or multiple waves of spreading depression (SD), i.e., by traveling slow potential change. An analysis of single vs. multiple cortical SD waves indicated that when multiple waves occurred, feeding was elicited by the first wave. Injection of norepinephrine into the hippocampus resulted in a significantly larger and qualitatively different feeding response compared to KC1 injections. No apparent changes in the EEG or DC activity occurred upon norepinephrine injections.     

Untersuchungen zur Eignung von Leistungsverfahren für die Messung von Schweregraden endogener Depressionen

Zusammenfassung Zur Messung der Schweregrade endogener Depressionen werden meistens Selbstbeurteilungsverfahren angewandt. Für diese Zwecke fanden Leistungsverfahren bisher kaum Berücksichtigung. Nach einer Literaturübersicht und eigenen empirischen Untersuchungen drängt sich die Vermutung auf, daß das Hauptanwendungsgebiet von Selbstbeurteilungsverfahren im Abschnitt leichter bis mittelschwerer endogener Depressionen liegen müßte, diese Verfahren jedoch bei schweren und schwersten Depressionen zu falschen Ergebnissen führen. Leistungsverfahren scheinen zwischen psychiatrisch unauffälligen und leicht depressiven Personen nicht so gut zu differenzieren, werden aber bei zunehmendem Schweregrad zuverlässiger und gültiger. Selbstbeurteilungs und Leistungsverfahren können demnach nicht gegeneinander ausgetauscht, sondern sollten in Ergänzung zueinander angewandt werden.Mit freundlicher Unterstützung der Firma Dr. R. Pfleger, Bamberg     

Zur theoretischen deutung der temperaturabhängigkeit der relaxationszeiten von polymeren

The free volume theory of Cohen and Turnbull, the results of which are identical with the empirical relationship of Williams, Landel and Ferry (WLF), was compared with the theory of conformational entropy of Adam and Gibbs (AG) using experimental results of measurements of the temperature dependence of the relaxation times of poly(vinyl acetate). In spite of being different in their mathematical form, both theories were found to describe the experiment with similar adequacy. A procedure was also suggested permitting to obtain the AG parameters if the WLF parameters are known. The procedure was applied to 59 compounds, the WLF parameters of which were found in the literature. The results are tabulated.     

Studies on the DNA of an oncogenic papovavirus of the Syrian hamster.

The hamster papovavirus (HaPV) isolated from multiple skin tumors of the Syrian hamsters contains supercoiled, double stranded DNA with a G/C content of 39.2% and a molecular weight which is within the range of SV 40 and polyoma DNA. Spectrophotometric melting and annealing curves indicate a high thermal stability and a high sequence homogeneity of the HaPV-DNA. Restriction endonucleases BamH1, HindII, and EcoRI cleave HaPV-DNA into one, three, and four fragments, respectively, and the electrophoretic pattern of the digest products is distinctly different from that of SV 40 and all other known papovaviruses. The relative positions of the BamH1, HindII, and EcoRI restriction endonuclease sites have been established, taking the unique BamH1 site as a zero point.     

Minimal touch surgical implantable cardioverter defibrillator implantations

A growing number of patients with contraindication for transvenous implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implantation or need for system upgrade of a pre-existent pacemaker system is to be observed. Therefore, unconventional system constellation may be necessary to provide patient safety by using a minimal invasive access avoiding sternotomy. Two similar cases are presented to demonstrate configuration solutions which can be easily individually modified. Simple pacemaker and ICD implantation is nowadays mostly performed by cardiologists and/or general surgeons. As soon as partial or total thoracotomy becomes necessary, the patient will be referred to a department of cardiac surgery. Hence, in the very near future, cardiac surgeons will face a large number of redo procedures for pacemaker- and ICD systems including the necessity for mixed transvenous and epicardial solutions. To avoid significant morbidity deriving from sternotomy and pericardiotomy, concepts for as less invasive as possible solutions are presented.